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Tesla is one of the most open companies with their patents [1]. I don’t share your scepticism. I would think this is protection against someone else patenting t

Tesla is one of the most open companies with their patents [1]. I don’t share your scepticism. I would think this is protection against someone else patenting the idea and inhibiting their ability to innovate. [1] https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you

kenhwang 7y ago
Tesla's way of opening up patents is interesting. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable on the topic can chime in, but my understanding is that Tesla's just saying they won't initiate a lawsuit if they believe you're using their patent in "good faith". Tesla's lawyer's clarification made their "good faith" restriction much more restrictive: A party is “acting in good faith” for so long as such party and its related or affiliated companies have not: - asserted, helped others assert, or had a financial stake in any assertion of (i) any patent or other intellectual property right against Tesla or (ii) any patent right against a third party for its use of technologies relating to electric vehicles or related equipment; - challenged, helped others challenge, or had a financial stake in any challenge to any Tesla patent; or - marketed or sold any knock-off product (e.g., a product created by imitating or copying the design or appearance of a Tesla product or which suggests an association with or endorsement by Tesla) or provided any material assistance to another party doing so. So it makes sense that no one major would take up Tesla's offer, because they're not going to waive the right to sue Tesla. That's a little bit different than, say, Toyota, which offered to licenses out their patents royalty free with no strings attached and even offer consulting on how to use them for a fee. There's some guarantees there (or can be negotiated) that the tech/goodwill won't disappear on a whim.
- ricardobeat 7y ago
  Those restrictions sound pretty reasonable - you wave the right to sue them for patents only. Would be kind of odd to use one of their patents freely while suing the opposite way. Toyota announced the patent release five years after Tesla, and its mostly for technology released in 1997 for the Prius, hardly anything revolutionary now. By the way if you manage to find their contact form re. this, it says "We have closed accepting inquiries for technical support."
  - _nedR 7y ago
    Patents from 1997 would have expired by 2017.

kenhwang 7y ago

Tesla's way of opening up patents is interesting. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable on the topic can chime in, but my understanding is that Tesla's just saying they won't initiate a lawsuit if they believe you're using their patent in "good faith". Tesla's lawyer's clarification made their "good faith" restriction much more restrictive: A party is “acting in good faith” for so long as such party and its related or affiliated companies have not: - asserted, helped others assert, or had a financial stake in any assertion of (i) any patent or other intellectual property right against Tesla or (ii) any patent right against a third party for its use of technologies relating to electric vehicles or related equipment; - challenged, helped others challenge, or had a financial stake in any challenge to any Tesla patent; or - marketed or sold any knock-off product (e.g., a product created by imitating or copying the design or appearance of a Tesla product or which suggests an association with or endorsement by Tesla) or provided any material assistance to another party doing so. So it makes sense that no one major would take up Tesla's offer, because they're not going to waive the right to sue Tesla. That's a little bit different than, say, Toyota, which offered to licenses out their patents royalty free with no strings attached and even offer consulting on how to use them for a fee. There's some guarantees there (or can be negotiated) that the tech/goodwill won't disappear on a whim.

ricardobeat 7y ago
Those restrictions sound pretty reasonable - you wave the right to sue them for patents only. Would be kind of odd to use one of their patents freely while suing the opposite way. Toyota announced the patent release five years after Tesla, and its mostly for technology released in 1997 for the Prius, hardly anything revolutionary now. By the way if you manage to find their contact form re. this, it says "We have closed accepting inquiries for technical support."
- _nedR 7y ago
  Patents from 1997 would have expired by 2017.