World’s largest wireless telecommunications operator China Mobile joins Open Invention Network

Chinese companies have become increasingly sophisticated regarding patents. According to the country’s top intellectual property regulator, China National Intellectual Property Administration, the number of invention patents granted in China in the first four months of 2024 showed a year-on-year increase of 43.42%. Additionally, the administration also reported that Chinese companies owned approximately 4.02 million domestic valid invention patents by the end of 2023.

China Mobile, the largest mobile operator in the world with more than 990 million subscribers, is a significant user, contributor, and supporter of open source. To work with others to protect the open source community from patent aggression, China Mobile has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN). As the first Chinese telecom operator to be an OIN member, China Mobile is looking to ensure additional wireless telecommunications services industry innovation.

OIN is the only institution focused on mitigating patent risk in open-source software. It creates a patent “no-fly zone” for foundational open-source software that protects developers, distributors, and users while ensuring continued OSS adoption and innovation. OIN is supported financially by IBM, Google, Philips, NEC, Sony, SUSE, and Toyota.

OIN oversees the largest patent cross-license in history, with more than 3,800 participants. 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.

“China Mobile is committed to becoming a world-class information service and sci-tech innovation enterprise and understands that Linux System and open source technology is a cornerstone to drive technological innovation and accelerate service innovation,” said Jia Liu, Deputy General Manager of Science and Technology Innovation Department of China Mobile. “After joining OIN, China Mobile will not only continue to support the innovative practice of open source projects but also work closely with OIN and its members to promote the high-level implementation of the Linux System and open source technology and maintain the healthy development of the open source ecosystem.”

Other leading Chinese companies to have joined the OIN community are Alibaba, Ant Group, ByteDance, BYD, JD.com, Huawei, and Tencent.

“Wireline and wireless computing and telecommunications networks are instrumental in improving the standard of living for everyone in the world. In order to increase the pace of innovation, industry leaders worldwide are leveraging the collaborative power of open source,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of OIN. “We are pleased to have a global leader like China Mobile join OIN. We believe their participation serves as an example for all mobile services vendors in supporting patent non-aggression in open source.”

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