Tesla Seems To Recognize That Its Own Patents Are Holding Back Innovation

from the because-that's-how-patents-work dept

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While the details aren't entirely clear yet, there are reports that the company is likely to "open up" or "give away" some of its patents on its Supercharger system in an effort to create a standard that other electric car makers can use. Elon Musk has been hinting at doing something "fairly controversial" with the company's patents for a little while now. The really tragic thing is that. Anyone who's studied the history of innovation knows how badly patents get in the way of standardization. There often is long and involved fights over how patents fit into standards, with debates about fees and "RAND" pricing. Fights break out over whose patents get included, and then giant bureaucracies spring up around who gets to manage various patent pools, and how money gets distributed. Andslows down the actual innovation process.And this is a problem.Hopefully, the rumors are accurate, and Tesla really is freeing up its patents, because Musk has always been a more visionary sort. He must realize that the business is selling the cars, andadvance that makes the cars themselves more useful makes them more valuable, and widespread infrastructure thathis cars and whichis only a good thing in the long run. For too long, the "typical" business wisdom from those who are too focused on permission-driven innovation is that you have to lock up everything. But toll booths create friction and slow down the opportunities for real innovation. It would be great to see Musk do "something controversial" like this, even if it's ridiculously depressing that this idea is considered even remotely controversial.Monetizing each step of the process, even if it limits the overall market is what should be seen as controversial -- rather than sharing knowledge and encouraging others to build upon a shared standard that increases opportunities for the entire market.

Filed Under: electric cars, elon musk, innovation, patents, standards

Companies: tesla