Just this morning (June 12, 2014) the CEO (Elon Musk) of Tesla Motor Companies, the leader in electric vehicle technology, made a public announcement that Tesla will be allowing a great deal of leeway regarding their multitude of patents.
As Musk puts it, “All Our Patents Are Belong To You”, yes this was the exact language used in a major press release this morning. Musk goes on to say:
“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.”
So what is essentially going on here is that now that Tesla is so well established, and likely most of their financial goals have been met, they will now be allowing others to take their (Tesla’s) technology as a building block towards something better, and more efficient. A move like this is noble in it’s publicized intent, but only feasibly productive for a major company already having underwent vast success. Patents play a great role in a young company or persons career inventing, as they stop larger companies from stealing their ideas and technologies. Musk’s release has a little snippet explaining his personal experience with patents.
“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.”
The electric vehicle world made a stride today. And, personally, I believe like every other situation in history, as humans, we will figure this shit out. It is so painfully obvious that electric is the way of the future, and Tesla may have pushed that timeline in the right direction with this one. Well done Tesla.
Stay Wise© people.
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