The CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, released his company’s patents on its electric cars to the public June 12.
The Editorial board believes this is a smart move that could help jump-start development between automakers toward a more electric future.While it may at first smack of self-righteousness, it poses a tantalizing potential payoff when other car companies may be able to work towards an all-electric automotive future. Mr. Musk has taken a risk in making his company’s technology available to the masses. His company could potentially lose millions, but we believe it was a bold and ultimately profitable move.This is an unprecedented risk, especially for a small cog in a machine as large and powerful as the auto industry. Tesla will certainly face problems. General Motors created an electric car, the EV1, in the 1990s, but it was quickly removed from the market. Many believe a combination of car companies and the oil industry lobbied heavily to keep it off the streets. Even as Tesla opens up its patents, it’s possible the current leaders will fight smaller startups to maintain the status quo. The game of patents and copyright has always been a very bloody battle. Witness the billion dollar penalties between Apple and Samsung in court concerning such trivialities as “Slide to Unlock” for a taste for how tenuous modern intellectual property laws are being used and abused by several parties. Musk certainly knows the dangers of patents impeding scientific progress and in recognizing both the potential benefits and drawbacks, he has made his stance on the issue quite clear.Currently the gold standard of electric cars and quickly becoming a hot-ticket luxury item, Tesla Motors stands as the premium alternative to gasoline-powered cars but also at premium price points. Still, we believe Musk’s idea to be the Henry Ford of electric cars might be somewhat grandiose, but if it works and his patents eventually allow for a breakthrough, that might very well be the case.Technology is changing quicker than ever. Especially with the level of connectedness we experience today, information free-flow is becoming harder and harder to stop. Maybe Musk will lose money initially, but think of the environmental benefits. And if people take the patents and improve on them, imagine the benefits to Tesla and the electric car industry. In the age of RIAA, DRM, SOPA and rootkits, it is refreshing for a company to embrace the novel idea of cooperating to improve technology, rather than hoarding it away like some other companies based in Silicon Valley.True innovation lies in taking risks, in going against the grain and doing something no one else is willing to try. The auto industry can’t stop the spread of information forever. And after the dust settles and we run out of oil, who will be remembered for launching the new era of vehicles?Right now, our money’s on Tesla.opinion@idsnews.com
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