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.
Starting with Content Streaming, Personalization and Artist Compensation Patents
We’re beginning this initiative with a concrete step: pledging our content streaming, personalization and artist compensation patents under the OpenIP framework. These patents cover technologies that improve how listeners discover, share, and interact with songs and playlists, as well as approaches to artist compensation and royalty distribution designed to support accurate accounting and fairness.
By pledging these patents, Block is empowering developers to rely on the innovations underpinning many of TIDAL’s streaming services, artist-first payment models, and artist tools without fear of patent infringement claims from Block.OpenIP is a first step, not a finished product. We are beginning with these patents because they align most directly with our artist-first mission. We plan to expand to more areas of our portfolio over time, guided by feedback from the community and lessons learned from this launch.This creates a ripple effect of opportunity: when one company removes patent barriers, innovation accelerates. Smaller developers and startups, who often lack the resources for extensive patent clearance, can now experiment with and deploy technologies that were previously locked behind IP walls. Our intention is to create space for new ideas to thrive. By creating space for new ideas to thrive, this initiative aims to lift artists, right holders, and fans.