I specifically remember Elon stating that anyone could just use the technology without even informing Tesla, so I looked it up: https://www.lexology.com/librar

I specifically remember Elon stating that anyone could just use the technology without even informing Tesla, so I looked it up: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ca6c332f-2cc5-401b-b80d-36473d0754c7 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ca6c332f-2cc5... Indeed, there are no documents for executives to sign, but the patents aren't exactly fully free to use either: Tesla promised not to sue any company infringing on its patents as long as they're acting in "good faith," which obviously has a bunch of caveats (one being that you can't sue Tesla over any other patent related issues). The end result is the same: a decent idea ruined by the lawyers.