Profiles

A DIGITAL GRAPHICS TOOLS COMPANY WITH A SUBSTANTIVE PATENT PORTFOLIO USING AND CONTRIBUTING TO FOSS

The company aims to start a sub-project based on new graphic rendering techniques with an open source core with associated subsystem IP, tools, and software for graphical and game designers (development environments). It seeks to create a community around the open source cores and optimise its processes. The company has a patent portfolio and is concerned that exposing it to open source collaboration may ‘taint’ other of its patents.

Size

SME

How does the size of our company as a SME implicate the decision to initiate an open silicon sub-project?
What should it consider in terms of resources, team structure, and management?

Experience with 3Os

No experience

How can we measure the compatibility of our company’s business model with open technologies?
What challenges and opportunities does this present for starting an open silicon sub-project?

Technological area

Open Silicon

Are there essential patents of third parties that your design may necessarily infringe?
How to obtain licenses to potentially essential patents of competitors?

Role

User or Maker

What role should our company play in the open silicon sub-project?
Are we looking to lead the project and attract contributors?
How can we effectively balance our role to maximize the benefits of open source core design for efficiency?

Motivation

Strategic

Should our company become part of an open source industrial-grade ecosystem?
Do we want to participate in strategic decision-making around enabling technologies?
Do we want to gain industry prominence?
Can we benefit from IP provenance validation as part of an ecosystem?

Attitude toward risk

Willing to take risks

What potential risks and challenges should we be aware of, and how can we mitigate them effectively?
Are we concerned our company IP might be ‘tainted’ by the rights subsisting in the new sub-project?
Do we want to create a separate legal entity for this sub-project?
Do we need to conduct an IP due diligence prior to launching this project within our company?

Ecosystems

Major gaming ecosystems

Are there existing open-source ecosystems, communities, or platforms that are relevant to our sub-project?
How can we identify and engage with them and leverage their resources, expertise, and explore potential partnerships?

Communities

Not engaged in any

Should we adopt a policy for engagement with communities and contributor licence agreements or developer certificates of origin?
How can we actively engage with the communities that align with our sub-project?
What strategies should we employ to collaborate, gather feedback, and establish a positive presence within communities?
How much control do we want to ascertain over the sub-project? Should it be completely community driven?