Tesla’s 'generous' release of its patents is a brilliant marketing move, but the last paragraph of Mr. Musk’s blog  really says it all: in a rapidly evolving market like electric cars, patents provide modest protection and Tesla’s preeminent position stems from staying ahead of the pack, not its existing patent portfolio. Besides, Tesla excels due to the convergence of its unorthodox technology and business strategies. Tesla’s announcement is kind of like Tim Hudson announcing that anyone who wants to copy his pitching style is free to do so.  Good luck with that!

We asked IP attorneys writing on JD Supra what to make of recent news that Tesla Motors will be opening up its patents to spur innovation in the electric car field (see CEO Elon Musk's blog post: All Our Patent Are Belong to You.). We heard the above from Joshua Cohen, IP partner at California-based law firm Wendel Rosen.

Additional insights:

• With Patent Giveaway, Tesla Shows Silicon Valley What Ingenuity Means - Klint Finley at Wired
• Elon Musk opens up Tesla patents; it 'isn't entirely altruistic' - Jerry Hirsch and Tiffany Hsu at Los Angeles Times
• Why Elon Musk Just Opened Tesla's Patents to His Biggest Rivals - Ashlee Vance at Bloomberg Business Week
• What Does Billionaire Elon Musk Have to Gain From Giving Away Tesla's Patents? - Susanna Kim at ABC News
• All Our Patent Are Belong to You - Elon Musk, Tesla

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We'll post additional perspectives on the Tesla story here, as they come in.