NEC will join IBM, Novell, Philips, Red Hat and Sony as an investor and licensee in Open Invention Network (OIN), an intellectual property company formed to further the Linux environment by acquiring patents and ensuring their availability.
NEC plans to boost its Linux business from 310 billion yen ($2.6 bil) in fiscal 2005 to 570 billion yen ($4.9 bil) in fiscal 2008.
NEC will invest in OIN in October and send a director through its US subsidiary, NEC Corporation of America, as it considers Linux one of the most innovative and collaborative technologies ever, and a key growth driver for emerging markets.
Source: http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=13303