Google Joins OIN, Agrees Not to Sue Linux Developers

Google said Tuesday it has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), and in the process pledged not to assert its patents against other Linux developers in the organization. OIN essentially serves as a clearing house for cross-licensing patents, and counts IBM, Oracle and Sony as members.

Since its inception, Google has utilized Linux to build the largest search engine in the world. Now, the company says it feels "a strong responsibility to the Linux community, and we’re always looking for creative ways to put our resources in the hands of Linux developers." Hundreds of Google employees have submitted patches to the Linux operating system, and the company has open-sourced over a million lines of its own code.