Both HTC and LG announced patent licensing agreements today, as activity in the mobile patent space continues to heat up. First, both companies joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), an intellectual property company formed to protect Linux-based innovation by pooling patents. Members donate certain patents from their portfolios to the community on a royalty-free basis, agreeing not to assert those patents against other member companies over Linux-related products or innovations. While it's debatable whether this patent alliance can provide HTC and LG significant protection from the various threats to Android, it seems clear that both companies believe that there's safety in numbers - with OIN touting companies like Google, IBM, HP and Sony as community licensees.

In similar news, LG also entered into a patent license agreement with Intellectual Ventures. IV says that LG will get access to "more than 35,000 IP assets in more than 50 technology areas." IV of course has a reputation for being one of the most agressive patent trolls in the game, but it seems that they continue to bring companies into the fold.