Bangalore: Search Giant Google has announced the Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) Pledge promising not to sue developers, distributors and open source software users utilizing Mountain View’s patents ‘unless first attacked’.

This is an entire new effort by Google, looking out on supporting all things open. According to Duane Valz, senior patent counsel at Google, “Open-source software has been at the root of many innovations in cloud computing, mobile web, and the Internet generally”. “We remain committed to an open Internet – one that protects real innovation and continues to deliver great products and services”.

The company is however not looking out on throwing its entire patent portfolio up for grabs. Instead, to be on the other side, it’s starting on contributing just ten patents to the pledge. The search giant has however claimed that these patents are in wide use and would gradually expand Google owned patents that would fall under the pledge.

But Google wants other patent holders should take part in this as well. It has said that the pledge will remain in effect for life of each patent, if the owner ship is transferred from the company and that the agreement would only be undone if a party brings a patent suit against Google products or services or if it is directly gaining from such a litigation. The company is supporting patent reform and a cut back on litigation that it has repeatedly insisted creating obstacles for innovation today.

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