In today’s day and age, nearly every company is a technology company. That includes the automotive industry. To fight off what the industry dubs “patent trolls”, or those that don’t produce any products but have long plagued the tech industry with lawsuits, the Google-led License on Transfer network has become a safe haven.
General Motors joined the LOT network this past July, joining other technology and automotive companies to keep its patents safe from lawsuit threats, according to Fortune.
The non-profit LOT network boils down to a mutual non-aggression pact between members. Each participating member promises that “that none of their patents will ever be used by a patent troll to sue another member.” However, members may still sell their patents or directly sue one another.
It’s more evidence of growing ties between traditional automakers and Silicon Valley, and it’s certainly not the last step between them.
“GM’s involvement in LOT demonstrates a proactive commitment against becoming vulnerable to patent assertion entities that may detract from our ability to push innovation and better products forward,” Carlos Herrera, the chief intellectual property counsel for GM, explained.
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