NPE Deterrence for Members of the Linux Foundation & CNCF
The Linux Foundation (LF) and CNCF have partnered with Unified Patents to provide LF & CNCF Members with the following benefits, which are designed to help protect Members’ use and distribution of open source software from patent aggression by non-practicing entities (NPEs), also known as “patent trolls”:
Membership Advantages
| Membership Advantage | Silver & Academic / Nonprofit | Gold | Platinum |
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Update Presentations
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✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
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Access to Unified Patents Invite-Only Events
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✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
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Royalty-Free Licenses to Patents Owned by NPEs Gold and Platinum members will automatically be included as beneficiaries of royalty-free licenses secured for the Open Source Zone by Unified Patents, significantly reducing legal risks and expenses. These licenses extend to customers when using the member company’s products and services. |
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License to Use the Unified Patents Logo Gold & Platinum Members may display the Unified Patents logo on the Member company’s website, which indicates participation in Unified Patents and functions like a “beware of dog” sign to NPEs. Note: Listing of the member company’s name on logo on the Unified Patents website requires membership in Unified Patents. |
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Annual NPE Risk Analysis Unified Patents will provide a proprietary analysis of the Member company’s exposure to current NPE campaigns and potential future NPE campaigns. |
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Patent Portfolio Analysis Tools Access to the patent portfolio features of Unified’s PORTAL data analytics platform, which enables you to
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Private Consultation With UP Expert Leadership Consult directly with Unified Patents to discuss NPE risk mitigation strategies and provide input on priorities for UP’s NPE deterrence efforts in the Open Source Zone. Up to 2 private one-hour consultations with Unified Patents per year for Platinum Members, and up to 1 private consultation per year for Gold Members. |
✅ | ✅ | |
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PATROLL Submission Access PATROLL is Unified’s crowd-sourced prior art bounty program. Anyone can submit prior art for any contests. Unified will post the winning submission and award the submitter with cash (usually around $2K). Companies often ask for more information about these contests: the status, number of submissions, etc. This benefit enables a member company to view the status of any contest and view all submitted potential prior art (not just the winning submission) before or after the contest closes. |
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Opportunity to Sponsor 2 PATROLL Prior Art Contests per Year Platinum + Gold Members can sponsor up to 2 PATROLL prior art contests per year directed at NPE patents chosen by the sponsoring Member (for a sponsorship fee of $20,000 for both contests). |
✅ | ✅ |
How to utilize these benefits
Update Presentations
Invitations to the Unified Patents update presentations will be sent to :
- LF/CNCF members at the primary contact email address associated with their membership
- Participants in the Linux Foundation Member Counsel community
- Participants in the CNCF Legal Committee
If you’re an employee of a member company and would like to receive invitations, but are not already included in the groups listed above, please send your request to member-engagement@cncf.io or legal@linuxfoundation.org respectively.
Royalty-Free Licenses to Patents Owned by NPEs
Unified Patents will automatically include our Gold and Platinum members as beneficiaries when Unified negotiates royalty-free licenses in settlements it negotiates with NPEs for the Open Source Zone. However, if your company is currently litigating with an NPE and prefers not to be included in a particular license, you may opt out.
To ensure you receive timely notice when royalty-free licenses are secured, please send your company’s legal contact information to membersupport@linuxfoundation.org.
Other Benefits
To utilize any of the other membership benefits described above, please contact Unified Patents at info@unifiedpatents.com.
NPE deterrence resources available to anyone
The following resources are available to anyone (even if they are not members of the Linux Foundation or CNCF):
- Subscribe to Unified Patents’ newsletter to receive news and alerts about patent litigation
- Attend Unified Patents’ annual Patent Administrative Laws Conference (Washington, D.C.)
- View winning prior art submissions for PATROLL contests on Unified Patents’ website
Additional benefits for members of Unified Patents
Additional benefits (above and beyond those described above for LF/CNCF Members) are available to members of Unified Patents. You do not have to be a Member of the Linux Foundation or CNCF to become a Unified Patents member, and membership in Unified Patents is free for startups. See the Unified Patents website for more information.