Open Invention Network expands patent protection for largest cross-license in history

Open Invention Network (OIN) oversees the largest patent cross-license in history, with more than 3,800 participants. The cross-license covers basic software componentry across a spectrum of vertical industries that include security, networking, cloud computing, enterprise computing, web, embedded, and automotive, among many others. To keep pace with innovation, every 18-24 months, OIN revises and expands its Linux System, which defines, within its cross-license, the scope of its patent non-aggression coverage in core open-source software.

OIN is announcing its twelfth update to the Linux System, the largest in its history.

“Linux and other open-source software projects continue to accelerate the pace of innovation across a growing number of industries. By design, periodic expansion of OIN’s Linux System definition enables OIN to keep pace with OSS’s growth,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. “As the open source code base continues its incredible expansion, we will diligently work to safeguard the use of Linux and adjacent open source technologies through the addition of core software packages to the Linux System.”

In cloud computing, projects such as Istio, Falco, Argo, Grafana, and Spire are augmenting the existing coverage of technologies such as Kubernetes and OpenStack, for example. In enterprise computing, OIN is adding packages for Apache Atlas and Apache Solrfor managing and searching data at scale to existing coverage. IoT/Networking and automotive coverage are also being enhanced through the inclusion of OpenThread and packages such as agl-compositor and kukusa.val.

In embedded, OIN has supplemented coverage of technologies such as OpenEmbedded with Matter and OpenAMP. Additionally, development technologies that support the rapidly growing area of open hardware are included in the current update. Specifically, Edalize, cocotb, Amaranth, and Migen are being added to the existing coverage, which includes hardware design tools such as Verilator and FuseSoc.

This update continues OIN’s well-established process of carefully maintaining a balance between stability and adding innovative core open-source technology in the Linux System definition. The latest additions all reflect OIN’s conservative and consensus-driven Linux System update process.

← Back to News

You may also like…