DuetsBlog explains that Ford's much-vaunted policy of allowing others to use its electric vehicle technology is not as radical as it looked, and doesn't stand up to comparison with Tesla's making their patented technology freely available (often referred to as 'open-sourcing', which not only confuses different parts of speech but also misses the important point that there is no source code involved, and it is the publication of source code that is the defining feature of open source licensing strictu sensu). In fact, Ford are doing nothing more than offering commercial licences, which (while it might be a radical departure for Ford: remember the Competition Act investigation into the UK company's refusal to grant licences to make repair panels?) isn't at all unusual for patent owners. Indeed, for many, granting licences to people better-placed to exploit the technology is the only way to make a patent pay.
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