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 Advantage | Silver & Academic / Nonprofit | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update Presentations Unified Patents gives periodic presentations (typically 3-4 times per year) to LF & CNCF Members to share: – Intelligence about NPE activity targeting open source software and cloud native technologies – Developments in patent laws and policies – Other updates and information regarding NPEs and Standards Essential Patents | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Access to Unified Patents invite-only events – Corporate IP Strategy Conference (Santa Clara, CA) – Munich IP Forum | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 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). If a negotiated settlement for a royalty-free license results from either of these sponsored contests, the sponsoring Member will be included as a beneficiary of the resulting royalty-free license ( ordinarily reserved exclusively for Unified Patents members). | ✅ | ✅ | |
| 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 a Unified Patents program. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| 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. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Patent Portfolio Analysis Tools Access to the patent portfolio features of Unified’s PORTAL data analytics platform, which enables you to: – Analyze your company’s portfolio for broadness, validity, cost, and overall value – Compare your portfolio to a competitor’s – Analyze trends and extract other intelligence to inform your IP budget, R&D budget, and M&A activity | ✅ | ✅ | |
| 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 patent 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. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| 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 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. | ✅ |
How to utilize these benefits
Update Presentations
Invitations to the Unified Patents update presentations will be sent to :
- LF/CNCF members at 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.
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.