About the Alliance

China RISC-V Industry Consortium (CRVIC) established the RISC-V Patent Alliance (RVIA) in 2023, which currently comprises 15 members. Through the construction of a patent pool, the establishment of resource sharing mechanism, the organization of joint litigation defense and other innovative modes, the alliance will create a safe ecology of patent non-litigation in the RISC-V fields, provide all-round intellectual property protection for members, and drive RISC-V technological innovation and industrial upgrade.

In August 2023, the world's first RISC-V patent alliance was officially established. Nine founding members, namely VeriSilicon, Nuclei System Technology, T-Head, StarFive, Timesintelli, S2C, Hi-Trend, VeriSyno, and iFuture, participated in the launch ceremony. The Patent Alliance is committed to building an ecosystem where RISC-V patents do not involve litigation, and jointly promoting the continuous innovation and rapid development of RISC-V technology.

In May 2024, the "Chain Gathering in Pudong · Core Ushering in the Future" RISC-V Industry Technology Seminar and the RISC-V Industry Patent Trends Release Conference released the "RISC-V Industry Patent Trends Report". The report examined the technological development trends and patent layout of key RISC-V enterprises globally and in China, p rovided a detailed interpretation of the intellectual property agreement of the RISC-V International Foundation and analyzed the development direction and trend of the RISC-V industry.

As of the end of January 2025, the RISC-V Patent Alliance had a total of 15 members.

Patent Protection Mechanism

1. Inter-member patent non-litigation commitment

RISC-V Patent Alliance members shall commit to refrain from initiating malicious patent litigation against fellow members in the RISC-V domain, so as to safeguard the healthy development of the industry ecosystem.

2. Patent pool construction

The Alliance will actively seek external cooperation to acquire high-quality patents, while encouraging members to contribute their own RISC-V-related patents to jointly build the Alliance patent pool.

3. Patent sharing and defense

If the Alliance members encounter external patent litigation, the Alliance can provide access to patents in the patent pool to assist the accused members in joint defense and effectively mitigate external risks.

4. Collaborative response to patent risks

Through the patent pool sharing and joint response mechanism, the Alliance is committed to creating an open and safe RISC-V patent ecosystem, reducing the legal risks of its members, and promoting continuous innovation in the industry.

Core Functions of the Patent Alliance

1. Member expansion and ecosystem development

Continuously expand alliance membership by engaging upstream/downstream enterprises, research institutions, and public entities to build a collaborative RISC-V industrial network.  

2. Technology innovation support system

Establish a patent information-sharing platform, offering retrieval and analysis services for global patent data; assist members in patent portfolio planning and technology roadmap design.  

3. Patent risk management mechanism

Deploy a dynamic monitoring system to regularly issue industry patent risk alerts; conduct infringement risk assessments for key technology areas.  

4. Patent pool construction and operation

Acquire high-value patents through market-oriented mechanisms and establish a patent valuation system to optimize patent pool quality, ensure legal validity, and enhance collective competitiveness.  

5. Litigation support services

Provide patent pool authorization support for the members involved in the lawsuits, organize professional teams to assist in formulating litigation response strategies, and coordinate patent resources among members to form a joint defense.

6. Capacity building and communication

Regularly hold specialized training sessions on intellectual property rights, organize industrial visits and technical exchanges, and carry out certification and training for patent management talents.

7. Policy research and advocacy

Conduct research on the impact of industrial policies, offer suggestions and advice on behalf of the industry to the competent authorities, and promote the establishment of a fair industrial development environment.

Membership Eligibility Criteria

Applicants to the Alliance membership must abide by the Constitution and laws of the People's Republic of China, actively participate in the Alliance's work, and at the same time meet the following conditions: