Open Invention Network signs up two Indian companies
Tuesday, 24 April 2007, 19:30 IST
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Hyderabad: Open Invention Network (OIN), a company formed to spur innovation and protect the Linux System, Tuesday announced that it has signed up two Indian technology companies. The new licensees, ClickforHelpIndia.com and Quad One Technologies, have joined the list of companies that are leveraging OIN to ensure Linux-based intellectual property protection for themselves and their end-user customers. "We are pleased to have ClickforHelpIndia.com and Quad One Technologies become licensees of Open Invention Network's patents," Jerry Rosenthal, chief executive officer of OIN, told a news conference. Rosenthal, who is currently touring India to host IT and intellectual property industry gatherings in key technology centres, said the two were examples of Indian companies that understand that the openness and collaborative culture of the Linux community is an engine for innovation. OIN executives are meeting business leaders, government officials and intellectual property (IP) experts to discuss ways to protect Linux and ensure its availability in order to maintain the pace of IT innovation. Patents owned by Open Invention Network are available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System. This enables companies to continue to make significant corporate and capital expenditure investments in Linux. He said more than 100 companies in eight countries have become licensees of OIN and hoped that by the end of next year the number would go up to 1,000. Rosenthal said in less than a year, OIN has accumulated more than 100 strategic, worldwide patents and patent applications. "We are committed to, and enthusiastically support, open source software products and communities," said Ken Fischer, CEO of ClickforHelpIndia.com Pvt. Ltd. "By becoming an OIN licensee, we join a growing number of open source community members that see the value derived from the protection that OIN provides to Linux developers and their end-user customers. OIN licensee also means that we don't have to expend as many precious resources on intellectual property issues," he said.
Source: IANS
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