What is protected?
Below you will find a number of important projects:
And a lot more...
On the website of Open Invention Network you can find the complete up-to-date list with protected free and open source packages. The agreed protection always concerns existing features of well-specified versions of these packages. Once or twice a year new software and updated versions of existing software with additional functionality are added. You are always informed in advance.
How does it work?
Open Invention Network is meant as a defensive patent pool, created to grow a wide ring of peace around a number of important free and open source projects. By putting your signature under the license of OIN, you help to maintain non-aggression and convey the message that libre software is not the right place to fight patent wars.
OIN protects a set with basic free software that are omnipresent and used by almost everyone — as part of nearly every smartphone, underneath nearly every online service, as the basis of the software on our desktops and servers, in many different types of devices at home, in offices, on the road and even in space.
What does it mean to sign up? The short summary: if you have (software) patents (which most people don't), you give out a free reciprocal licence to the other participants in order to be able to use and further develop existing software that is itself already free in all senses of the word. Normal end users and developers without patents have no obligations whatsoever, yet profit from the protection against some forms of patent abuse. Outside of that, everything stays as it is. (read the complete licence text)
This type of peace treaty may sound superfluous, but there are all kinds of malevolent business models around exploiting sometimes extremely fuzzy software patents. In other cases law suits are part of a conscious strategy to discourage the development of free and open source software.
You join by registering online through the site (officially that makes you a 'licensee', just like when you install a piece of software you've bought or downloaded on your computer). At no cost you'll get an unlimited licence on all the technology patents that OIN has in its broad portfolio. Those patents were especially bought or donated by OIN members (such as Philips, Sony, IBM/Redhat, Canonical, Google and TomTom) in order to make it worthwhile for many different types of organisations to use. (You can also contribute or sell interesting patents if you happen to have any lying about).
By joining OIN — like we have ourselves — you become part of an international legal network that wants to prevent patent abuse and patent aggression. Which makes a lot of sense.
Who is behind this?
We are NLnet, a Netherlands based not-for-profit that was set up in 1989 by pioneers of the internet in Europe. NLnet is officially recognised as a "Public Benefit Organisation" (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) by the Netherlands Tax authorities. Over the years NLnet has contributed financially to important projects to make the internet safer, more robust and privacy-friendly — like TOR, Jitsi, GNUnet, OpenBTS, Unbound, Unhosted and many more. NLnet enables independent developers and researchers from around the globe to work on a better future for the internet.
Read what people say about the work of NLnet.
NLnet has a partnership with Open Invention Network. OIN supports the work of NLnet with a donation for every organisation that signs up to the promise not to attack the other signees (under which you will find most GNU/Linux distributions, Mozilla foundation but also Puppet Labs, Space X and KDE e.V.) for the use of those free and open source packages with any patents they may have. Of course this means they also are not allowed to attack you. So with five minutes of your time you help important free and open source projects to get 'patent trolls' off their back, and by doing so you also help to fund new efforts to make the internet safer and more trustworthy. And boy, do we need such efforts.
(So if you know any other businesses, free and open source projects or institutes that could sign up, please do point them to this page).
Frequently asked questions
Here you will find a number of frequently asked questions, and the clarifications that we (NLnet) give if we get asked those questions. As with this whole paqe, we at NLnet cannot talk on behalf of OIN and we are certainly not lawyers so this is not legal advice but a possibly opinionated view of a foundation that cares about the internet. Don't just take our word for it — if you have serious questions we can bring you into contact within people at OIN that do nothing but answer these questions. The site of OIN may also provide additional information as well. If you can't figure something out, or have any doubts — please contact us — we are very thankful for your help and want to help you to help the internet very much.
What does NLnet think about software patent?
This page might be read by minors, so lets keep it decent. Software patent are an awful idea. Especially in the United States software patents are an economic battle field where the interests of regular users and developers are sacrificed for no good reason whatsoever: the whole software industry as we know basically came about without software patents, and probably software patents are among the biggest threats out there to its future. In Europe software patents are not legally valid officially, but meanwhile they are handed out by the European Patent Office — just in case those laws ever change. In many other places in the world a similar situation exists. This means even if you don't live in the US, you always have to take their existence into account. Software patents are responsible for billions of dollars/euros of lost innovation opportunities. That harsh reality has led to the establishment of Open Invention Network, which wants to work towards a more peaceful situtation by making an almost unavoidably huge patent portfolio available at no cost in exchange for peace.
Why is this necessary? We already have free and open source licenses. Isn't this taken care of already?
Unfortunately it is a necessity. Software licenses like GPL, Apache, BSD and MIT are based on copyright, and are granted through the creators of the software. Software patents are unfortunately completely separate from that, and are claimed by third parties that had no involvement with writing the software, which is what makes them so immensely damaging. There are milllions of software patents in the world (many in the huge US market) that all put a claim on some vague "method" for doing something. If such a "method" is "used" by software somewhere (even though it might concern a complete triviality, and the creator of the software would not even have any access to the original software patent, the 'owner' can in retrospect make a claim. It doesn't matter if it is software you buy or download — in principle all the software on the planet is vulnerable to software patents. An insane situation, and time to do something about it.
What is Open Invention Network?
Open Invention Network was established to promote a fertile ecosystem around GNU/Linux and free and open source using patents to create a collaborative environment. OIN was founded in 2005 by a number of large industry stakeholders, including IBM/Redhat, Novell (SUSE), TomTom and Philips. Open Invention Network itself was set up as a company to own a large portfolio of patents, which it makes available royalty-free to companies, institutions and individuals — provided that these do not use (software) patents against other users of what OIN calls the 'Linux system'. Put differently, the 'Linux system' is a large collection of free and open source software packages and building blocks, including programming languages (Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP), web browsers (Firefox, Webkit), virtualisation technology (KVM, Xen, OpenStack), mail servers, and a lot more.
Who are the other members of the OIN community?
OIN has a very broad membership, so you'll likely feel at home: from free and open source organisations like Mozilla, the Document Foundation, Moodle and Unhosted up to large companies like Oracle, Cisco and HP. A public list of licencees is maintained at http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/community-of-licensees/.
Can I get out again?
Of course you can. Your promise to maintain peace against the community is then limited to the participants at the moment you leave, and the functionality of the versions of the free and open source software protected at that time.
What happens after I sign? Will I get spammed?
The name of your organisation is published on the list of participants. Your address and the details of the contact person will not be published and will not be shared with third parties.
The list with free and open source software protected by OIN continues to be expanded. You will get a letter or email automatically once or twice a year with all newly added software. As longs as you are not planning to engage into patent battles with others, there is really nothing you have to do in order to keep the protection up.
Can't I just donate money?
Of course, we'd love that. The work funded by NLnet to increase the privacy and security on the internet is more necessary than every, and every cent that comes in will go directly to new projects. Donating is possible through iDeal, PayPal and Bitcoin. Not everyone has the financial means to contribute financially. If you have little to spare, you can also notify others of this page — that really helps us.
I don't have an IT company, but something completely different. Can I join as well?
Even if you run a supermarket, a social network or a workers union, we are very happy with your organisation as member of the community supporting patent non-aggression. Open source is everywhere (from the cash register running on GNU/Linux, the server that hosts your website and mail or the medical equipment measuring your lung capacity). Everyone should be able to use these free and open source packages donated by their creators without thinking twice. By joining, you make a difference.
Does it make sense to sign up as an individual?
Private persons are not part of the sponsor agreement NLnet has with OIN, but you can most certainly make your voice heard against the madness of software patents by registering. And perhaps you know people that do have a company, are part of an association or work within an institution that you could point here and ask to join? Your help is much appreciated!
How is it decided which software will be protected in the future?
Besides licensees OIN also has a number of companies that have donated the means and patents to kickstart the initiative and keep it running. As you can imagine these are companies with very significant interests in free and open source-technologies, such as TomTom, Google, Philips, IBM/RedHat, Sony, NEC, Toyota and SUSE. These 'members' decide which packages fall within the protectorate. If you feel a certain important package is missing, contact us.
I have real (non-software) patents. What happens with them when I sign?
Nothing, your patents remain something separate. The reciprocal license that all the members of the community give to each other, concern the right to use any software patents involved with a specific set of free and open source software which is used all over the world. Normal patents have nothing to do with it, and your company stays in full control.
As a side note: OIN not only accepts donations of patents, it actively acquires interesting new patents as well. Especially from new areas where it does not yet have a lot of coverage yet. If you have something you think might be of use, do not hesitate to contact. And perhaps if you make some nice money from the sale, you can give part of the proceeds back to the internet through a donation.
Why do you keep writing "free and open source software"?
"Free Software" is the original name given by Richard M. Stallman, dating back to the eighties. The name itself was chosen because (and clearly puts the focus on) the fundamental freedoms software crafted for the public benefit gives (als also how selfish proprietary software is: in a predecessor of the GPL license Stallman wrote "Help stamp out software-hoarding!"). "Open Source" was a term coined a few years later, and has a more practical, matter of fact definition now guarded by OSI. Both terms have a long and proud history, and both have a strong community behind them. By refering to both, you as the reader will hopefully understand that the patent threat applies to all software that is meant to be shared, for whatever reason and with whatever ideology in mind it was created.
My question isn't listed.
Shoot. We knew we had forgotten something.
But seriously. If something isn't clear, or if you are in doubt — please contact +31 (0)20 8884252 / questions@nlnet.nl
I am convinced. How can I register without scrolling all the way up.
Quite simple, use the button below. And thank you for your patience and kind help.