Tesla: All Our Patent Are Belong To You

From the Tesla Motors Blog: Yesterday, there was a wall of Tesla patents in the lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters. That is no longer the case. They have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.

Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.

When I started out with my first company, Zip2, I thought patents were a good thing and worked hard to obtain them. And maybe they were good long ago, but too often these days they serve merely to stifle progress, entrench the positions of giant corporations and enrich those in the legal profession, rather than the actual inventors. After Zip2, when I realized that receiving a patent really just meant that you bought a lottery ticket to a lawsuit, I avoided them whenever possible.

At Tesla, however, we felt compelled to create patents out of concern that the big car companies would copy our technology and then use their massive manufacturing, sales and marketing power to overwhelm Tesla. We couldn't have been more wrong. The unfortunate reality is the opposite: electric car programs (or programs for any vehicle that doesn't burn hydrocarbons) at the major manufacturers are small to non-existent, constituting an average of far less than 1% of their total vehicle sales.

At best, the large automakers are producing electric cars with limited range in limited volume. Some produce no zero emission cars at all.

Given that annual new vehicle production is approaching 100 million per year and the global fleet is approximately 2 billion cars, it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis. By the same token, it means the market is enormous. Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day.

We believe that Tesla, other companies making electric cars, and the world would all benefit from a common, rapidly-evolving technology platform. 

Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor, but rather by the ability of a company to attract and motivate the world’s most talented engineers. We believe that applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard.

U.S. Senate Votes to Suspend HOS Restart Rule

As reported by Today's Trucking: The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 21-9 in favor of suspending the current 34-hour restart provision of the hours of service (HOS) rule while the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) studies the rule’s impact.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, commented: “It has become clear that the rules have had unintended consequences that are not in best interest of carriers, shippers and the public.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a national organization that represents small-business truckers, thanked the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee for passing the amendment to suspend the new restart provisions in HOS regulations for one year.

"Truckers have long pointed out the negative impacts of the 2013 changes on their ability to get rest, stay out of busy city traffic, spend time at home, and make a family-supporting income," said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer.

The amendment also says that FMCSA funding will not include money to enforce the restart rule that took effect last June as part of the new HOS rules.

The amendment suspends the two-night rest requirement and the once-a-week limitation on the restart. The suspension starts after the bill is passed and FMCSA posts public notice, and last until September 30, 2015, or when FMCSA finishes the study.

During that time, the old restart provision is in effect, which means drivers are not required to be off between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on two straight nights during their restart, and the restriction limiting use of the restart to once a week.

The study must compare the work schedules and fatigue of two groups of drivers: those operating under the pre-2013 provision, and those operating under the new provision.

"The agency cannot simply regulate based upon guesses," Spencer said. "And it should not make a regulatory decision and then create data after the fact that supports the decision. Sadly, the problems with the hours-of-service rule-making are common within the FMCSA."

E-Log mandate
The bill suspending the 34-hour restart rule also sets a deadline for the FMCSA to publish its electronic logging device mandate by January 30, 2015.

The agency was supposed to finish the rule last October but still is in the midst of the rule-making process.
The FMCSA recently extended the comment period on its proposal from May 27 until June 26 at the request of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, which represents state police and other enforcement interests. The Alliance said it needs more time to understand the impact of the technology the agency is proposing.

The mandate will require drivers who use paper logs to eventually switch to electronic logs. It also covers technical standards for the devices and the supporting documents that regulators need to confirm compliance. And it sets requirements to ensure that electronic logs are not used to harass drivers.

The bill says that researchers studying the effects of the 34-hour restart rule should use data collected through ELDs that meet the requirements of the mandate. 

Intel and WiTricity Working on Wireless Charging Tech

As reported by GigaOM: Hoping to rid the world of power cords, WiTricity announced a new technology licensing agreement with Intel on Tuesday. Both the wireless charging company and the chip-maker are board members of the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) which has adopted WiTricity’s Rezence magnetic resonance charging technology.

I recently saw WiTricity’s wireless charging solution in action; earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show the company provided me this demo showing how devices can be recharged without even touching a charging pad.

With the new agreement, WiTricity will be working with Intel to integrate the Rezence technology into Intel-powered devices. That could mean future computers, tablets, phones and even wearable devices with Intel inside could be recharged simply by putting them on or near a wireless charging pad.

Aside from the fact that both companies are on the same wireless standards body board, there’s another connection. Intel Capital is one of the main investors in WiTricity, which was originally spun out from an MIT project.

Uber's Sign-Ups Jump 850% After European Taxi Driver Strike Snarls Traffic

As reported by CBS News: Taxi-hailing app Uber saw sign-ups jump to record levels on Wednesday, following a rush of publicity as cab drivers across Europe went on strike to protest against the company.

Marketing experts described the strike as an "own goal", after Uber said there had been an 850 percent increase in sign-ups compared to last Wednesday.

Uber accused London taxi union, the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, of being stuck in the "dark ages" and called on the union to cancel the "irresponsible" strike.

Andre Spicer, professor of organisational behavior at Cass Business School, described the strike as "PR gold" for Uber.

"It's an own goal. Uber is top of everyone's minds. Lots of people who have never heard of the app before now know what Uber is," he told CNBC.

He said a company like Uber, which is bringing new technology to the market, faces two main difficulties: visibility and explaining how their technology works.

"Journalists - and even the leaders of the protest - are now talking about the app on the news, and explaining how it works. It gives it 1,000 percent more credibility than if the company did it themselves," he said. 

In an attempt to placate London's protesting taxi drivers, Uber has announced plans to open its app based service up to black cabs, adding that it is a "shame to bring London to a standstill".

Getty Images

London taxis line up on The Mall during a protest against a new smart phone app, 'Uber' on June 11, 2014 in London, England.

As well as Uber services, customers will now be able to hail a black cab from the app, which Uber claims is "good for riders, good for London cabbies, and good for the local economy".

Gridlock across Europe

Taxi drivers in London begun their protest Wednesday afternoon, creating gridlock around central tourist hotspots Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Parliament Square over claims Uber is in breach of taxi meters regulation.

Taxi drivers insist that because the Uber system calculates its fare according to distance and time, it is the same as a meter, which only black cabs are regulated to use. London's transport regulator, Transport for London (TfL), has asked the High Court to give a final decision on whether Uber is breaking the law or not.

Black cab driver and representative of trade union Unite, Peter Rose, who is helping to lead protests in London, said Uber's inclusion black cabs was clearly a "deflection" and doubted there would be any real take-up of the offer.

"There is no history of cab drivers using private hire firms. It isn't about Uber, this is about TfL. TfL should be acting like a proper regulator," he said.

Jo Bertram, general manager at Uber U.K. and Ireland, told CNBC: "In our view, the Uber app on a drivers' smart phone is not a taxi meter, the private hire laws were written in 1998 before smart phones were even invented. TfL have also shared their view its not a taxi meter."

Protests are also underway across Europe, and in Milan, Uber is offering a 20 percent discount on passengers journeys in response to the strikes.

Minister of Transport Maurizio Lupi has questioned the legality of the taxi app as only drivers with a license can operate in the country and two Uber cars have already been confiscated by the police this year.

But Benedetta Arese Lucini, managing director of Uber Italy, said she was not concerned about the outlawing of Uber in Italy, adding: "We are suggesting a new way forward, that is what the market is asking for."

Protests backfire

Professor Spicer added that there was a long precedent of protests encouraging the opposite behavior. For example, in the 1980s and 1990s there was moral opposition to rap groups including N.W.A. and Public Enemy because of the strong language used on their records.

"But this moral crusading gave the bands a certain aura - people thought they sounded cool and wanted to try them out. A similar thing is happening now with Uber. This protest is making it look interesting," he added.

Ad Shock: VW Shows Moviegoers What It's Like to Text and Drive

As reported by The Verge: 

It's well documented that texting while driving has become an increasing problem over the years. Advertising agency Ogilvy Beijing recently demonstrated exactly what can happen if you take your eyes off the road to look at your phone. Patrons at a movie theater in Hong Kong were shown a VW commercial as part of the pre-show trailer reel, depicting a car driving on a quiet road. Using a local broadcasting system, the agency sent out a mass text to everyone in the room during the commercial, causing those with mobiles to check their phones. While they glanced down, the on-screen car then careened off the road into the tree, before the ad hammered home its message, pointing out that "mobile use is now the leading cause of death behind the wheel."

While that stat isn't true everywhere, distracted driving is an issue across the globe; US government statistics suggest approximately 660,000 drivers are "using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving" at any given time.

Google to Buy Near Real-Time Satellite Imaging Company Skybox Imaging for $500M

As reported by Time: Google is buying near real-time satellite imaging company Skybox Imaging for $500 million in cash, it announced Tuesday.

Google says Skybox, which claims to have built the world’s smallest high-resolution imaging satellite, will help Google improve its Maps product. “Skybox’s satellites will help keep Google Maps accurate with up-to-date imagery,” Google said in a press release announcing the deal. “Over time, we also hope that Skybox’s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief — areas Google has long been interested in.”

The demonstration video below shows what Skybox’s satellites are capable of doing:

Google has made significant investments in aerial projects over the last year, from buying the drone company Titan Aerospace to experimenting with balloons to deliver Internet access in remote areas — it’s also possible that Google could use Skybox’s satellite technology to expand global Internet access as well.  

In a blog post of its own, Skybox said it was “thrilled” to be bought out by Google and make hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. “We have built an incredible team and empowered them to push the state­-of­-the-­art in imaging to new heights. The time is right to join a company who can challenge us to think even bigger and bolder, and who can support us in accelerating our ambitious vision,” the company wrote.

The terms of the deal are subject to approval from federal regulators in the U.S.

FCC Workshop on GPS Receivers Causes Concern in GNSS Community

As reported by Inside GNSS:  Leading navigation experts are worried an upcoming workshop on GPS receivers being organized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an attempt to initiate design mandates for user equipment that could potentially undermine the GNSS community.

“There is currently planned an FCC workshop that is going to, among other things, address certification and standards for receivers,” said Brad Parkinson, the acting chair of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board and a former chief of the NAVSTAR GPS Joint Program Office.

“I am aware that a number of manufacturers are quite panicked over this because of the possibility of some superposition of, in essence, how you design a receiver for GPS,” Parkinson added in comments at the advisory board’s meeting on Wednesday (June 4, 2014).

The “Workshop on GPS Protection and Receiver Performance” set for June 20 at FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C., will consider GNSS receiver performance capabilities in the presence of neighboring transmitters and “a comprehensive path forward to protect GPS operations from harmful interference, potentially including an industry-driven GPS device certification program and transition plan.”

The agency posted a notice of the GPS receiver workshop on June 2, less than three weeks before the event.

LightSquared Fallout?
The agency, which regulates the nongovernmental uses of radio frequencies, has raised the idea of receiver standards in the past, largely as a mechanism to squeeze more users into overcrowded radio spectrum. The FCC’s initial efforts regarding GPS receiver standards were revved up shortly after the agency was forced to withdraw its controversial conditional approval of a broadband network proposed by Virginia-based LightSquared.

Tests ordered by the agency after concerns from the GNSS industry over the likelihood of interference eventually proved that the LightSquared network would overload the RF front-ends of a vast range of GPS receiver types. The FCC-mandated the tests well after it had agreed to LightSquared’s requests for a more powerful terrestrial transmission network in confidential discussions with the firm and then attempted to move the proposal forward on what appeared to be an unusually tight schedule — damaging in the process its relationship with the GPS community.

The June meeting appears unlikely to narrow the rift.

“I was a little bit concerned with when I looked at the agenda for this workshop because NASA builds receivers for our specific mission requirements,” said Advisory Board Executive Director Jim Miller, who works for NASA, the board’s government sponsor. “FAA defines the criteria where the manufacturers build receivers for aviation-specific applications. And so I'm a little bit concerned that FCC would take it upon themselves to begin to dictate how receivers are built in the future when really, up to now, they have managed spectrum allocation and transmission.”


It remains unclear, however, that the FCC even has the power to impose standards, said GPS policy expert Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

“Government-set standards are generally not done except for reasons of national security or public safety. So, certainly we can set standards for military receivers and set standards for certification in the public safety community — such as the aviation and maritime people. But the FCC currently does not have the authority to do receiver standards and, I think the greater point, I don't think they should have it.”

Shifting the Burden of Proof
Pace said the push for receiver standards is part of a larger effort to shift the responsibility for demonstrating non-interference to other RF systems from those transmitting to those receiving the signals in order to accommodate the demand for other communications in the band.

Certifications that will constrain innovation and standards that will shift interference burdens to receivers are not being considered in order to benefit GPS users or the community, said Pace. These changes are being weighed “in order to make room for other services, including mobile [communications].”


The statement of work at the FCC workshop alludes very heavily to economic benefit, said Parkinson, something that has long been difficult for the GPS industry to quantify — in part because GPS use is not easily tracked and in part because the fragmented GPS community does not have the resources for extensive research The Department of Commerce is only now planning to study the economic impact of embedding GPS into consumer devices.

Parkinson told the June 4 meeting of the board that he hopes GPS manufacturers will make their presence known at the meeting and in the debate over the issue.

“The concern is always that we start putting on constraints and then somehow damage ourselves,” Parkinson told the group. “For example, export controls — I think the greatest thing we did for the rubidium clock industry in Europe was not allowing them to buy any of ours. So, they had to go out and do their own. There are some elements of that in the constraints that one might put on a receiver in order to meet some brand-new bureaucratic idea of what ought to be. I hope manufacturers get involved, get heavily involved, and express their opinion.”

This is “something that could vastly affect the whole substance of what we are if carried to the point that someone dictates how you design a receiver,” he said. “I think that's kind of dangerous.”