The modern car is a computer on wheels. Linux and other open source software platforms power software-defined vehicles, connected car platforms and cloud services. To help mitigate patent threats toward open source Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation are joining other automotive industry leaders Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota as members of the Open Invention Network 2.0 community.
Hyundai and Kia are actively racing to deliver the most forward-thinking mobility solutions. Their latest move sends a clear signal that open source is the core infrastructure for next-generation technology, ranging from software-defined vehicles and connected platforms to cloud services and robotics. And they see value in its protection from patent aggressors.
“The pace of open source technology innovation continues to power the global economy,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. He noted that open source has spawned new industries and technologies spanning AI, smartphones, search engines and mobile devices, among many others. “We greatly appreciate automotive industry leaders Hyundai Motor and Kia joining OIN 2.0 and supporting patent non-aggression. Their participation signals the strategic value of open source.”
Here is how OIN works. It manages the largest active patent cross-license ever created. Members agree to one thing. Don’t leverage your open source-related, building block patents against one another over a defined body of open source technology. It is worldwide. The principle is blunt – patent non-aggression. And the protected set of software platforms and components is not frozen; OIN keeps it current as open source grows and new technologies mature.
The scale is the point. OIN’s membership tops 4,100 organizations. Together they pull in more than $10 trillion in annual revenue and hold more than 3 million patents and applications. Founded in 2005, OIN is the only organization solely dedicated to mitigating patent risk in open source software. No single automaker could build a shield like this alone. That is exactly why they join one.
OIN 2.0, launched in 2026, sharpens the model. It moves OIN onto a sustainable, shared funding base – and that shift does real work. Shared funding pays for continuously refreshed protection, a wider range of covered technologies and a structure built to hold up for years. As open source spreads across new industries, the coverage keeps pace. Protection that stands still is protection that erodes. OIN 2.0 is designed not to keep evolving along with the growth of open source.
