Asian Legal Network Launched as Premier Legal Forum for Asian Free Software Participants


DURHAM, NC--(Marketwired - Mar 14, 2014) - Open Invention Network (OIN), Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), and The Linux Foundation announced today the launch of the Asian Legal Network. The Asian Legal Network was established to provide a leading forum for sharing knowledge and best practices regarding Free Software legal affairs, particularly those that relate to market participants in Asia.

The Asian Legal Network's inaugural conference is taking place today, March 14, 2014. This by invitation only event -- the Asian Legal and Licensing Workshop -- is an important opportunity for members to meet and discuss the future of the Asian Free Software market from a legal perspective. The workshop features speeches and discussions with select lawyers and experts involved in Linux and Free Software, including Karsten Gerloff (FSFE), Keith Bergelt (OIN), Linda Biel (AST), and Xinzhu Zhang (Global Economics Group).

About Free Software Foundation Europe 
Free Software Foundation Europe is a charitable non-profit dedicated to promoting Free Software and building a free digital society. Founded in 2001 and fiercely independent, FSFE is working to bring software freedom to everyone who uses computers.

The organization raises public awareness for users' rights to use, study, share and improve the programs they use; engages with policy makers to shape technology law; promotes competition; and facilitates the world's largest network of legal experts on Free Software. For more information, visit http://fsfe.org/.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and collaborative software development. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system and collaborative software development by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Collaborative Projects, Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original research and content that advances the understanding of Linux and collaborative software development. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

About Open Invention Network
Open Invention Network is a collaborative enterprise that enables innovation in open source and an increasingly vibrant ecosystem around Linux. It does this by acquiring and licensing patents, influencing behaviors and policy, and protecting the integrity of the ecosystem through strategic programs such as Linux Defenders. OIN enables the growth and continuation of open source software by fostering a healthy Linux ecosystem of investors, vendors, developers and users.

Open Invention Network was launched in 2005 and has strong industry support with backing from Google, IBM, NEC, Philips, Red Hat, Sony and SUSE (a business unit of Novell). For more information, visit http://www.openinventionnetwork.com.

Contact Information:

Media-Only Contact:
Ed Schauweker
Agile Public Relations for Open Invention Network

(703) 963-5238