Yandex Joins Two Patent Defense Organizations, LOT Network and OIN

MOSCOW, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Yandex recently joined the License on Transfer (LOT) Network and the Open Invention Network (OIN), two organizations committed to innovation and combating aggressive actions by patent assertion entities (PAEs), more commonly known as "patent trolls." As a company that develops innovative technologies and believes in a fair and competitive environment, Yandex is happy to join other tech firms in preventing patent issues that undermine the basic principles of innovation.

Patent trolls typically buy the rights for patents that the holders cannot renew, then enforce them against businesses that use products or technologies covered by the patents. The LOT Network began in 2014 as an initiative by Google to combat patent trolls, and now counts over 360 members, including Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Alibaba, among other leading tech firms. The companies in LOT have agreed that if a member of the network sells or transfers the rights to one of its patents to a patent troll, no firm in the network can be sued for infringing such patent.

"As the largest global community of patent holders who have banded together to protect innovation, we are thrilled to include Yandex among the thought leaders in LOT Network," said Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network. "Our members come from all industries, and like Yandex, recognize that with the convergence of technology, PAEs are a growing global concern."

OIN is a group of companies dedicated to defending patents that are used by Linux and Linux-related systems. Google, Microsoft, IBM, Red Hat, Alibaba and now Yandex are just a few of the tech firms that make up OIN. OIN has a shared pool of patents that its members can use royalty-free in exchange for a guarantee that members will not assert their patents used by Linux systems.

"Open source has an almost endless number of touch points with the average person throughout their day. It powers search engines, banking networks, telecom networks, consumer products and a spectrum of IoT devices, among other instances," said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. "We are pleased that Yandex, the largest technology company in Russia and one of the world's largest search providers, is demonstrating its commitment to innovation and patent non-aggression in open source by joining our community."

Andrey Inshakov, Head of the Patent Department at Yandex, said, "At Yandex, we believe that patent law exists to stimulate innovation and promote the development of technology. Patents should not be used to stifle innovation, which is why we have joined these two networks of leading tech firms. We are happy to contribute to the efforts of the LOT Network and OIN in preventing patent trolls and aggressive patent litigation from undermining the basic principles of innovation and an open market."

SOURCE Yandex