The Tesla Motors patent wall is now empty

[flyandski365]

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-...are-belong-you

June 12, 2014
All Our Patent Are Belong To You
By Elon Musk, CEO
TAGS: CUSTOMERS / MODEL S /
114 comments
Yesterday, there was a wall of Tesla patents in the lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters. That is no longer the case. They have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.

Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.

When I started out with my first company, Zip2, I thought patents were a good thing and worked hard to obtain them. And maybe they were good long ago, but too often these days they serve merely to stifle progress, entrench the positions of giant corporations and enrich those in the legal profession, rather than the actual inventors. After Zip2, when I realized that receiving a patent really just meant that you bought a lottery ticket to a lawsuit, I avoided them whenever possible.

At Tesla, however, we felt compelled to create patents out of concern that the big car companies would copy our technology and then use their massive manufacturing, sales and marketing power to overwhelm Tesla. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The unfortunate reality is the opposite: electric car programs (or programs for any vehicle that doesn’t burn hydrocarbons) at the major manufacturers are small to non-existent, constituting an average of far less than 1% of their total vehicle sales.

At best, the large automakers are producing electric cars with limited range in limited volume. Some produce no zero emission cars at all.

Given that annual new vehicle production is approaching 100 million per year and the global fleet is approximately 2 billion cars, it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis. By the same token, it means the market is enormous. Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day.

We believe that Tesla, other companies making electric cars, and the world would all benefit from a common, rapidly-evolving technology platform.

Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor, but rather by the ability of a company to attract and motivate the world’s most talented engineers. We believe that applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard.

[iceman]

We should hurry up and patent all that shit before someone else does.

[BmillsSkier]

Very interesting. Wonder what the shareholders think about this?

When asked for comment on this story China said, "What are these patent things you speak of"?

[Skidog]

pretty sure they still own the patents they just wont go after anyone who utilizes the technology in a "good" way.

[Hugh Conway]

what's the play for Tesla in this - not the bullshit PR spew.

[AdironRider]

It appears to me they are trying to make the play to one, get the tech out there and have it be the mainstream auto tech moving forward, then build a better quality car for the masses that now want one.

Second, they are going to be the ones building all the specific components and batteries, hence their Gigafactory being fought over by every state in the country currently.

Basically they are hoping for electric vehicles to go mainstream, then profit as they are the ones setup to build, implement, and service the product.

[4matic]

what's the play for Tesla in this - not the bullshit PR spew.

The battery plant and power stations technology will be the preferred supplier to startups in the space. It may also give Tesla a cost effective source of R&D for its existing products.

[toast2266]

Improved infrastructure for electric vehicles benefits Tesla, but won't happen until there's a critical mass of electric vehicles on the road. Tesla won't reach that critical mass by itself.

[grskier]

This is big vision stuff. Good on them!

[Danno]

We should hurry up and patent all that shit before someone else does.

doesn't work that way, if I understand the system. If you tried to patent something that Tesla developed, you would be unsuccessful (or if successful, it would later be declared invalid), because patents are only granted to inventors.

[abraham]

I'm not sure that's right anymore with the change to first to file patents, but patents are not something I know much about.
But here tesla still has the patents, they are just opening them up for other companies to use them without the risk of a lawsuit.

[frorider]

.Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.

I.e. The removal of the patents from their wall is symbolic only. They still own the patents and IP, and are just granting a general license to use subject to the above constraint. Afaik.

Sorry iceman.

[Tippster]

Funny what SpaceX getting a multi-billion dollar NASA contract can do for you just a few years later. They are now writing more contracts with Foreign clients than NASA, and don't need Tesla to make any money.

[iceman]

doesn't work that way, if I understand the system. If you tried to patent something that Tesla developed, you would be unsuccessful (or if successful, it would later be declared invalid), because patents are only granted to inventors.

I.e. The removal of the patents from their wall is symbolic only. They still own the patents and IP, and are just granting a general license to use subject to the above constraint. Afaik.

Sorry iceman.

Well now what am I going to do for the next 10 years? I thought I finally had a plan.

[PNWbrit]

Well now what am I going to do for the next 10 years? I thought I finally had a plan.

Iceman patent infringes.... in jeans....

[DJSapp]

Improved infrastructure for electric vehicles benefits Tesla, but won't happen until there's a critical mass of electric vehicles on the road. Tesla won't reach that critical mass by itself.

ding ding ding.

Winner here, electric cars aren't viable in a mass application until there is a mass of electric quick charge stations. Tesla can't do it alone.

[Hugh Conway]

ding ding ding.

Winner here, electric cars aren't viable in a mass application until there is a mass of electric quick charge stations. Tesla can't do it alone.

whyever would someone enter into a commodity charging business without any IP of their own? (unless they are taking hits from the TGR business genius bong)

[AdironRider]

Well independent gas stations are a dime a dozen and they seem to be all doing fine. Even the non-branded stations. No different, just a different form of energy.

[Hugh Conway]

you've got an interesting definition of "fine"

[ski_adk]

Well, how much is it worth to be able to set the platform for a new transportation technology?

[splat]

Not as much as the 18,000 nuke plants we'll need in 50 years if you do it in space.

[Edgnar]

what's the play for Tesla in this - not the bullshit PR spew.

Standardize plugs I think. Also build a market for the giga factory.

[iscariot]

This is a huge move. All about critical mass and giga factory, but a win for Elon/Tesla and for the other producers/consumers.

[DJSapp]

whyever would someone enter into a commodity charging business without any IP of their own? (unless they are taking hits from the TGR business genius bong)

Because gas stations actually don't make money on fuel, they make their money on the mini mart sales. $1.50 for a 16oz bottle of water? What kind of markup is that? The idea is if you have an electric car charging station, you will attract more customers to your profitable business, and they're going to hang out there for a while.

The problem is there aren't enough electric cars on the road for businesses to make the investment in infrastructure to attract the small number of customers. Tesla is trying to change the market by providing the technology.

[toast2266]

BMW apparently showing interest:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/12/58...-electric-cars