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Title: OIN Marks 20 Years of Defending Linux and Open Source From Patent
Trolls

Link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/04/29/19522...

An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: Today, open-source software
powers the world. It didn't have to be that way. The Open Invention Network's
(OIN) origins are rooted in a turbulent era for open source. In the mid-
2000s, Linux faced existential threats from copyright and patent litigation.
Besides, the infamous SCO lawsuit and Microsoft's claims that Linux infringed
on hundreds of its patents cast a shadow over the ecosystem. Business leaders
became worried. While SCO's attacks petered out, patent trolls -- formally
known as Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) -- were increasing their attacks.
So, open-source friendly industry giants, including IBM, Novell, Philips, Red
Hat, and Sony, formed the Open Invention Network (OIN) to create a bulwark
against patent threats targeting Linux and open-source technologies. Founded
in 2005, the Open Invention Network (OIN) has evolved into a global community
comprising over 4,000 participants, ranging from startups to multinational
corporations, collectively holding more than three million patents and patent
applications. At the heart of OIN's legal strategy is a royalty-free cross-
license agreement. Members agree not to assert their patents against the
Linux System, creating a powerful network effect that shields open-source
projects from litigation. As OIN CEO Keith Bergelt explained, this model
enables "broad-based participation by ensuring patent risk mitigation in key
open-source technologies, thereby facilitating open-source adoption." This
approach worked then, and it continues to work today. [...] Over the years,
OIN's mission has expanded beyond Linux to cover a range of open-source
technologies. Its Linux System Definition, which determines the scope of
patent cross-licensing, has grown from a few core packages to over 4,500
software components and platforms, including Android, Apache, Kubernetes, and
ChromeOS. This expansion has been critical, as open source has become
foundational across industries such as finance, automotive,
telecommunications, and artificial intelligence.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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