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Tag: Patents

AP

Patent Trolls Don’t Contribute to Innovation–They Impose a Private Tax

Trial lawyers trying to hold parts of the legal system hostage to make money is nothing new. It always happens the same way: a few creative lawyers figure out how to exploit legal loopholes; then abuse those loopholes to enrich themselves at others’ expense until someone stops them. Along the way, they come up with all sorts of creative justifications for what they are doing, claiming it’s actually positive and beneficial. Behind the scenes, they convince or pay off special interests to lobby for delays in changing the law that would close their loopholes and stop the cash flow.

Tesla being towed to dealer.

Tesla Open Source EV Patents Let Apple Jump in as Competitor

On June 12, 2014, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on the company’s web site that “All Our Patent Belong to You.” In adopting an “open source” policy to allow others to use the company’s patented intellectual property for free, Tesla’s stock (NASDAQ-TSLA) went up and the company got lots of publicity. But the statement preserved patent rights by requiring “good faith”, which is definitely not “open source.” Now, in a bizarre move, Musk has announced unlimited free-use of Tesla’s patents. Twenty-four hours later, Apple leaked that it is designing an electric vehicle and is now bidding to recruit Tesla employees.