Google has announced that it has become a licensee of the Open Invention Network (OIN).The OIN is a patent-sharing organisation founded to protect the working environment for anyone who uses Linux.
OIN is an intellectual property company that was formed in order to promote the Linux system through the use of patents to create a collaborative system.
The idea behind the network is that all licensees, including IBM, Oracle, Sony and NEC, form an agreement to cross-license their Linux-related patents to others within the network without charge.
This reduces concerns about patent issues, allowing members of the network to focus on writing software instead of avoiding legal pitfalls.
In a company release Google commented that the agreement "marks the latest development in a long, fruitful relationship with the open source community".
"We believe Linux innovation moves fastest when developers can share their knowledge with full peace of mind. We're proud to participate in an organisation that's making that possible and we look forward to seeing OIN grow and thrive," it added.
Linux was initially created in 1991 by a student called Linus Torvalds working at the University of Helsinki.
Now hundreds of companies and organisations, as well as individuals, have released their own versions of operating systems based on the original Linux Kernel, which is released under the GNU General Public License and is available to everyone.
