At Block, we believe that intellectual property (IP) should serve as a foundation for collaboration, creativity, and economic empowerment, not as a barrier to progress. Intellectual property should never stifle innovation. Therefore, we are expanding our approach to IP rights through an initiative called OpenIP.

Innovation thrives in open ecosystems where builders can create, iterate, and improve upon each other's work without fear of unnecessary legal retaliation from Block. The internet began with a pledge to openness: Tim Berners-Lee and CERN chose to put fundamental web technologies

. This decision enabled explosive growth; every website, browser, and web application exists because these core technologies remained open.

Today's innovation landscape is more complex. Companies need patent portfolios to defend against bad actors and protect their ecosystems. But we can achieve the same openness through defensive patent pledges. Like the early internet pioneers, we're choosing to remove IP barriers for good faith builders while maintaining the tools needed to protect innovation from those who would abuse it.

OpenIP represents our commitment to three core principles:

Builders First: We develop tools and technologies to advance the state of the art, never to impede it. Our IP portfolios exist to protect innovation and prevent bad actors from claiming rights over our unclaimed innovations, not to create barriers for good faith builders.

Build in the Open: We prioritize transparent, publicly accessible forms of intellectual property that allow ecosystem participants to understand, engage with, and build upon our work.

Patent Pledge: We will commit to using our pledged patents only defensively. We will not assert pledged patents against good faith actors working to advance innovation. While our internal approach has always favored innovation over litigation, OpenIP transforms that philosophy into an external commitment. For the first time, developers have a public pledge they can rely on when building on Block's innovations.

In the spirit of transparency and clarity, a list of Block patents subject to our OpenIP pledge (“pledged patents”) is available below.

Block will update the pledged patents periodically to reflect changes in ownership or scope.

Defensive uses under the OpenIP Patent Pledge include responses to actions against Block, such as filing legal or administrative proceedings, threatening or asserting claims at law or equity, assisting or encouraging others in such filings, threats, or assertions, and engaging in activities that harm Block’s customers and partners. Defensive uses further include asserting pledged patents in connection with cross-licensing negotiations, counterclaims, or in response to claims arising under non-patent legal theories (e.g., trademark, copyright, contract, or unfair competition).

It is not good faith within the meaning of our OpenIP pledge, among other things, to monopolize markets or industries, offer knock-off products or services, troll patents (i.e., to threaten market participants selling goods and services by using patents without offering competing goods and services), frivolously assert or challenge intellectual property assets, or assist or encourage others in similar activities.

This is just the beginning. We plan to expand OpenIP across more of our patent portfolio in the coming months, focusing on areas where open access can drive the most innovation and benefit for builders.

We’re also exploring the creation of an OpenIP consortium, bringing together like-minded companies committed to using their IP rights to foster innovation rather than impede it. If you're interested in joining this effort, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at OpenIP@block.xyz

At Block, we’ve always believed that the best ideas flourish when everyone has the freedom to build upon the work of others. Our patent pledge is an investment in the entire ecosystem.

Innovation happens in an open environment where builders can focus on solving problems rather than navigating legal minefields. OpenIP seeks to remove those barriers, creating predictability and trust that enables builders to do what they do best: build the future.

We invite other companies, builders, and builders to join us in this effort. Together, we can create an IP landscape that serves innovation, empowers builders, and drives economic opportunity for all.