DURHAM, NC -- (Marketwire) -- 02/13/13 -- Open Invention Network (OIN) today announced that the OIN licensee community exceeds 500 licensees. IBM, NEC, Novell, Philips, Red Hat and Sony created OIN with the mission to promote a positive ecosystem for Linux through the purchase and royalty-free licensing of strategic patents.

While numerous defensive patent management entities have formed to protect small groups of companies, OIN is distinguished as a resource available to all of the technology industry. Established companies like Cisco, HP and Google as well as emerging entities like Twitter and Facebook benefit from leverage against patent aggression and access to OIN's shared IP resources. OIN's patents cover areas that include big data and analytics, cloud computing, smart mobile devices and mobile broadband, and social networking, among others.

"Reaching the 500 licensee milestone demonstrates the growing awareness of the challenging state of affairs that now exists as it relates to patents," said Keith Bergelt, CEO. "We will continue our licensing efforts while also supporting initiatives to improve the patent environment, such as with our Linux Defenders program."

About Open Invention Network

Open Invention Network is a collaborative enterprise that enables innovation in open source and an increasingly vibrant ecosystem around Linux. It does this by acquiring and licensing patents, influencing behaviors and policy and protecting the integrity of the ecosystem through strategic programs such as Linux Defenders. OIN enables the growth and continuation of open source software by fostering a healthy Linux ecosystem of investors, vendors, developers and users.

Open Invention Network has considerable industry backing. It was launched in 2005 by IBM, NEC, Novell, Philips, Red Hat and Sony. For more information, visit www.openinventionnetwork.com.

Open Invention Network, the Open Invention Network logo, Linux Defenders, Linux Defenders 911 and the Linux Defenders 911 logo are registered trademarks or the property of Open Invention Network, LLC. All other names and brand marks are the property of their respective holders.