OSGi Non-Assert Agreements
Leading Tech Companies Unite to Support OSGi Technology with Royalty-Free Patent Pledge
Plan will encourage use of open, dynamic software components in computers and devices that use Java™
The OSGi Alliance and five high-technology companies announced on July 26th, 2006 that they will pledge royalty-free access to necessary patents that can speed the adoption of OSGi technology worldwide. The technology creates a service-oriented, component-based environment for developers and provides standardized ways to manage the software lifecycle. These capabilities greatly increase the value of a wide range of computers and devices that use the Java™ platform.
The OSGi Alliance Patent Commitment to the OSGi Service Platform, Release 4 Specifications:
Subject to the exception provided below, and with the intent that developers, users and distributors of Implementations of final
OSGi Service Platform, Release 4 specifications rely on our promise, the
OSGi Alliance hereby commits not to assert against any such Implementations any of its patents, U.S. or foreign, now owned or hereafter acquired, that cannot be avoided in any such Implementation.
In order to foster innovation and avoid the possibility that a party will take advantage of this pledge and then assert patents or other intellectual property rights of its own against Implementations of the above, thereby limiting the freedom of the OSGi Alliance or any other implementer to create innovative Implementations, or the freedom of others to distribute and use such Implementations, the commitment not to assert any of the OSGi Alliance's U.S. or foreign patents is irrevocable except that the OSGi Alliance reserves the right to terminate this patent pledge and commitment only with regard to any party who asserts (or is related to or joins such party in asserting) patents or other intellectual property rights in a lawsuit against an Implementation of a final OSGi Service Platform, Release 4 specification. For the purpose of this pledge, an "Implementation" of a final OSGi Service Platform, Release 4 specification includes only those portions of a computer program that are intended to accurately implement the normative portions of such specification (subject to normal, inadvertent programming errors) and that do not intentionally introduce incompatibilities that hinder interoperability.
Review the patent software commitments to the OSGi Service Platform, Release 4 Specifications using the following links:
View the Press Release.
