TESLA OPENS ALL PATENTS

"PatBateman" (PatBateman) 06/12/2014 at 13:12 • Filed to: Tesla

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Per !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Musk is opening ALL patents for the "advancement of electric vehicle technology". This is HUGE.

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UPDATE: Engadget had previously reported that Tesla would open up just it's charging systems, but nope; it opened up the whole schabang as long as an auto company uses the tech "in good faith". Also, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is the company's own release (thanks, Gamecat).

Gamecat235 > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:14

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0_0

O_O

-_-

Good for them. That's simply stunning news. I wonder if the approach will be on to newer and bigger things? Or just going to lead the charge?

macanamera > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:16

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HOLY CRAP

PatBateman > Gamecat235 06/12/2014 at 13:17

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Not sure. It's definitely a selfless action, but one has to wonder about the viability of the gigafactory now. If everyone can make the batteries, why would anyone buy the batteries from Tesla (unless it's cheaper)?

PatBateman > macanamera 06/12/2014 at 13:18

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Yeah, kind of a big deal.

McMike > Gamecat235 06/12/2014 at 13:18

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"Or just going to lead the charge?"

*snort*

Gamecat235 > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:18

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http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-p…

Love the title... And wow... This is simply insane.

McMike > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:19

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Could this promote a similar plug/port/voltage/charger for future electric vehicles?

If so, this is huge.

This could mean that all motors would have similar connectors, configurations, etc... This could open up the aftermarket if everyone is running similar enough stuff

He must be planning a charging station build out. This could pay off in 10-15 years.

Gamecat235 > McMike 06/12/2014 at 13:21

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< <

> >

(someone got it!)

PatBateman > Gamecat235 06/12/2014 at 13:21

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Much Polandball.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:26

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more like Zero Wing since its a play on "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!"

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:29

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From a business standpoint this is a dumb idea. But if you look at the big picture this is fantastic news. Superchargers will be available to all electric vehicles. Hopefully way more chargers go up.

I guess Musk is really trying to change the way we do things and he is not to concerned about making or losing money.

Jayhawk Jake > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:30

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The patents being released may not cover everything

PatBateman > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 06/12/2014 at 13:50

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The interesting thing is this doesn't JUST cover supercharger tech. It's everything. Batteries, motors, manufacturing tech...

PatBateman > Jayhawk Jake 06/12/2014 at 13:53

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The way I'm reading it, it's everything. The whole enchilada.

Kailand09 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 06/12/2014 at 13:54

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someone else brought up a good point- he is building a battery factory, and it would be nice for other people to need those batteries. They have the patents open now to make use of them.

spanfucker retire bitch > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 13:56

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I'm gonna repost what I wrote on the FP, because as great of a move as this is, he's not actually "opening up" his patents. Not under any new license that I'm aware of.

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

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It doesn't sound like they're "open sourcing" anything. They're simply letting people use their patents, so long as Tesla approves of it.

Unless someone can point me to the licensing structure he's using (GPL, BSD, Apache, Creative Commons, etc) it just seems to be they'll be looking at companies who want to use their patents on a case by case basis. As long as the company or individual uses the patents in a way that Tesla seems fit, they won't sue. I see nothing about actually "open sourcing" their patents.

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It just sounds like they're doing what Google is doing. Placing patents in a pool of "I won't sue you as long as you don't try and sue us."

I mean, don't get me wrong. I applaud the move. But I don't see how this is "open sourcing" anything. Patents are already public. Anyone could already look at a Supercharger patent and see how it works. They just won't be able to copy it without Tesla suing.

The only thing Tesla has done is state they won't offensively sue over patents that are used in good faith.

PatBateman > spanfucker retire bitch 06/12/2014 at 14:07

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That's basically the same thing, and that's why I mentioned the "in good faith" quote in my post. No one said that they are giving up their patents.

spanfucker retire bitch > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 14:09

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It isn't really the same thing. If they were open sourcing their patents, they'd lose the right to sue if they weren't used in good faith. At least if they used a permissive model like BSD or Apache. GPL is a different matter, but that's neither here nor there.

Either way, it's still pretty interesting to see them do this. I actually wonder if it's an effort to try and make the Supercharger standard the de facto standard.

PatBateman > spanfucker retire bitch 06/12/2014 at 14:13

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Just to clarify, Patrick George used the "open source" terminology, not I. Opening up the patents to other companies, without fear of suit or retribution for good faith transactions, is what I'm talking about.

spanfucker retire bitch > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 14:16

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You're correct. I initially thought the source article was using that terminology as well. I know you weren't.

supra-squirrel > PatBateman 06/12/2014 at 18:31

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That is fan-friggin-tastic. I am still waiting on electric vehicles to advance before i get one myself, so this will help speed that up nicely.