TIER IV joined Open Invention Network 2.0 to shield its Autoware ecosystem and automotive partners from patent litigation risks.
TIER IV, a Tokyo-based autonomous driving tech company, officially joined Open Invention Network 2.0 on 21 August 2026. This partnership will help leverage a global patent non-aggression framework, aiming to mitigate patent-related litigation risks and foster a secure ecosystem for partners, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), automotive suppliers, and semiconductor makers, to adopt open-source autonomous driving software.
TIER IV is pursuing a patent strategy designed to balance open-source software adoption with the active protection of its proprietary intellectual property. The company is the primary developer of Autoware, an open-source software stack for autonomous vehicles initially released in 2015.
Autoware relies heavily on foundational open-source technologies, specifically Linux and the Robot Operating System (ROS), which underpin TIER IV’s broader autonomous driving platforms and services. TIER IV provides end-to-end autonomous driving capabilities, encompassing open-source software development, vehicle procurement, AI integration, and commercial operational support.
Launched in January 2026, OIN 2.0 expands upon the original Open Invention Network model to broaden the scope of covered open-source software and hardware systems protected under its cross-licensing model. Participants in the OIN community grant one another royalty-free cross-licenses for patents covering defined open-source system components to shield members from patent infringement assertions.
