Designation Further Validates OPEN-IX® Brand While Protecting the Integrity of Its Data Center and Interconnection Standards

CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA – February 3, 2015 The Open-IX Association (OIX), a 501(c)(6) non-profit industry association formed to promote better standards for data center interconnection and Internet exchanges, announces today that “OPEN-IX®” is now a registered trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The November 25, 2014 designation officially enables the OPEN-IX® trademark, USPTO Reg. No. 4646876, to be utilized for OIX-authorized creation, promotion, certifications and standards for Internet exchange points and data centers.

The Open-IX Association fosters the development of critical data center and Internet Exchange Point (IXP) technical and operating standards, OIX-1 and OIX-2. The Association also certifies IXPs and data centers that meet these community-developed standards. OIX-1 standards describe the requirements an IXP should adhere to in order to become OPEN-IX® certified, while OIX-2 standards encompass the physical, operational and open access requirements that must be met by a data center prior to obtaining OPEN-IX® certification.

“As the Open-IX Association and the standards we foster continue to grow, maintaining the integrity of the OPEN-IX® brand has come to be increasingly relevant and meaningful to the constituencies we serve and support,” says David Temkin, Co-Founder and Chairman of Open-IX Association. “The trademark has significant recognition in the Internet industry and in the businesses that benefit from OPEN-IX®’s standards and certification processes. We look forward to the continued, successful growth and proliferation of the OPEN-IX® brand and community.”

Open-IX is a non-profit association established to promote a simplified neutral and distributed Internet exchange system. Organized and operated by volunteers from the Internet, the Open-IX association aims to increase the reliability, resiliency and competitiveness of massive-scale interconnection for all. With the help of broad participation of interconnect and data center professionals, the Association has successfully developed two Internet Exchange and data center consensus-based community standards and has certified 21 data centers and two exchanges since its establishment in 2013.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office certificate granting the Open-IX Association registration of its OPEN-IX® trademark is available upon request. Open-IX’s United States Patent and Trademark Office trademark registration filing can be found  here .

To apply for OPEN-IX® certification, email info@open-ix.org.
For additional information about the Open-IX Association, please visit www.open-ix.org.

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About OIX

The Open-IX Association (OIX) is an Internet community effort to improve the landscape of Internet peering and massive-scale interconnection. OIX encourages the development of neutral and distributed Internet exchanges while promoting uniform standards of performance for interconnections backed by the Internet community. The Association aims to promote common and uniform specifications for data transfer and physical connectivity and improve overall Internet performance by developing criteria and methods of measurement to reduce the complexity that restricts massive-scale interconnection in fragmented markets. The OIX Board is comprised of volunteer representatives from the Internet community, including William Charnock, Christian Koch, Chris Malayter, Keith Mitchell, Josh Snowhorn, David Temkin, and Barry Tishgart. More information about OIX can be found by visiting www.open-ix.org.