TIER IV, a leading developer of open-source software for autonomous driving, has joined Open Invention Network (OIN) 2.0, a new framework introduced by OIN, a global network focused on protecting open-source software from patent-related risks. As the primary developer behind Autoware, an open-source software platform for autonomous driving, TIER IV plans to use its participation in OIN 2.0 to help reduce patent risk and create an environment where a broad range of partners, including automakers, suppliers, and chipmakers, can confidently build on open-source technology, while also helping expand the broader open-source ecosystem for autonomous driving from a patent strategy standpoint.
OIN operates a global patent non-aggression framework designed to support the development and growth of open-source software, with thousands of companies and organizations worldwide participating. Under the framework, participants grant each other royalty-free cross-licenses to patents covering what OIN defines as the Linux System, helping reduce patent-related risk tied to Linux and related open-source software. OIN 2.0, launched in January 2026, expands the definition of that Linux System, broadening the range of technologies covered under OIN's patent non-aggression agreement.
TIER IV has led development of Autoware since its initial release in 2015. Built on open-source foundations including Linux and ROS (Robot Operating System), Autoware serves as the core of TIER IV's software platforms for bringing autonomous driving technology into real-world use. In recent years, the company has been expanding the broader autonomous driving ecosystem by working with automakers, suppliers, chipmakers, and other partners to build on an open technology foundation spanning software, AI, and automotive computing hardware.
TIER IV frames advancing autonomous driving in collaboration with global partners, and helping build a safer, more sustainable society, as requiring more than technical progress from individual companies alone; it also depends on fostering a broader ecosystem built around open-source software. That, in turn, requires reducing the patent-related risks associated with using open-source software so companies can adopt it with more confidence. By joining OIN 2.0, TIER IV becomes part of OIN's patent non-aggression framework and its enhanced governance structure, while also pursuing its own patent strategy that balances open-source software use with protecting its own intellectual property. Through this approach, the company says it aims to contribute to the healthy, sustainable growth of the open-source ecosystem supporting autonomous driving.
