Oracle and the OIN (Open Invention Network) announced that <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2108213,00.asp?kc=EWLINEMNL032707EOAD">Oracle will become an OIN licensee.</A>

By doing this, Oracle opens the doors to making some of its patents available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against Linux.

OIN members--which currently include IBM, NEC, Novell, Philips, Red Hat and Sony--agree to assign software patents that might affect Linux to the OIN. These patents can then be used by anyone in Linux without having to pay any royalty fees or having to worry about future law suits.