Google Partners With OIN For Linux

lymeca writes "Groklaw reports that Google has become the Open Invention Network's first end-user licensee. The OIN was established by companies such as IBM, Red Hat, and somewhat ironically Novell to accumulate patents and license them royalty-free to any company promising not to leverage their own patent portfolio against key applications available on GNU/Linux, including many GNU projects as well as Linux itself. Google's support bolsters the OIN's effectiveness as a shield against patent attacks against GNU/Linux and many popular applications that run on it."

Comments

Re:All-out attack on my cynicism?

[tgatliff]

The main purpose, in my opinion, for the OIN is to help insure the successful transition of the industry from software sales based to services based... These companies are broken up into two categories..

The first group are companies are the ones that already offer just services, meaning that the software they use is insignificant to their mode of business, so having software that is free to use is important. Also, getting sued is a significant risk for these companies business models. Google would be a great example for this type of company. If google had to pay for every OS, database, and file system on every server they have, I question if their business model would even be possible or viable...

The second group is companies that still work in the business of writing/distrib. software, but are not the top players in the industry. IBM would be a great example of this type of company. These types of companies are realizing, though, that business of "selling" software is slowing going away. The future of software is to sell the services that follow the software. This type of income not only provides a better revenue stream, but also is considerably more profitable..

So who is OIN truely targetting Simple.. To strike after companies that are still are based on just selling software and have the most to loose in the transition to software services... M$ comes to mind.. :-)

Re:OIN Training?

[greg_barton]

Nah, I've got it...

Open Invention Network Training: More Exciting New Technology

Re:So what happens when someone buys Google?

[mhall119]

Google licensed OIN patents, it didn't (in this article) contribute any of it's own patents to OIN. Basically what this move does is gives Google the ability to use these patents from IBM, Novell and Red Hat in it's own products. It also (and more importantly) means that Google would lose that ability if it ever decided to sue Linux or any part of what OIN defines as a "Linux System". Since nobody was every really concerned about Google doing that, this is more of a PR move to bolster both Google's standing in the FOSS community, and to give corporate legitimacy to the OIN, which will hopefully spur other, possibly smaller, companies into licensing OIN patents as well, maybe even contributing some of it's own patents. OIN is to patents what FOSS is to copyright.

Fun fact

[Pluvius]

Another name for OIN is GNU/Linux Open Invention Network (GLOIN). I've also heard rumors that the companies involved are going to create a group to endorse the increased usage of Linux on Internet servers. It'll be called the Greater Internet Mobilization of Linux Initiative (GIMLI).

Rob

Re:Fun fact

[grcumb]

Another name for OIN is GNU/Linux Open Invention Network (GLOIN). I've also heard rumors that the companies involved are going to create a group to endorse the increased usage of Linux on Internet servers. It'll be called the Greater Internet Mobilization of Linux Initiative (GIMLI).

Unfortunately, they were disbanded after a legal challenge by the Seattle Microsoft Advanced Users Group (SMAUG). Cost them a mountain of gold....