Square joins patent non-aggression pact through Open Invention Network

Payments company Square has become a member of the Open Invention Network (OIN), an organization that aims to reduce patent aggression in favor of open-source software, according to a Tuesday release

By joining as a member of OIN, Square can cross-license its patents to other members on a royalty-free basis — reducing patent risk while growing open-source platforms, apps, and services. 

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

“As a global leader in the effort to democratize financial services, we are pleased that Square is committed to patent non-aggression in core Linux and adjacent open source technologies,” Keith Bergelt, CEO of OIN, said in the release. 

The OIN is funded by Google, IBM, the Japanese computer and tech firm NEC, Philips, Sony, the German open-source software company SUSE, and Toyota. The Network has over 3,500 members, who gain access to over 2.6 patents and applications and OIN’s portfolio of over 1,000 IP assets when signing up.

Square helped establish the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), whose members vow to avoid using their crypto technology patents unless in defensive scenarios.

About Author

MK Manoylov has been a reporter for The Block since 2020 — joining just before bitcoin surpassed $20,000 for the first time. Since then, MK has written nearly 1,000 articles for the publication, covering any and all crypto news but with a penchant toward NFT, metaverse, web3 gaming, funding, crime, hack and crypto ecosystem stories. MK holds a graduate degree from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) and has also covered health topics for WebMD and Insider. You can follow MK on X @MManoylov and on LinkedIn.