Tesla : knowledge sharing or knowledge protection /
This case explains the challenges that Elon R. Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle company, faced regarding intellectual property theft and cyber-security. Tesla first made its patents freely available for use to competitors. As long as competitors used Tesla�...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London :
SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals,
2024.
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| Series: | SAGE Business cases.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | This case explains the challenges that Elon R. Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle company, faced regarding intellectual property theft and cyber-security. Tesla first made its patents freely available for use to competitors. As long as competitors used Tesla's patents in good faith they did not risk legal backlash from the company. However, unlike large companies, startups like Rivian used Tesla's patents and poached Tesla employees. Tesla later accused these companies, specifically the ex-Tesla employees, of intellectual property theft and sued them. On the other hand, Tesla was also threatened by a cyberattack, caused when one of its employees received a bribe from a spy agency to introduce malware into Tesla's software systems. Although the employee who received a bribe notified Tesla and the hacker was caught, Tesla was concerned about how to avoid malware attacks in the future. Why did Musk make Tesla's patents freely available? Was he right in sharing technical knowledge freely with competitors? How can Musk prevent corporate espionage attacks and intellectual property theft at Tesla? The case encourages students to examine conditions where sharing knowledge with competitors is required. It also helps students examine a firm's cyberattack prevention strategies. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| ISBN: | 9781071923757 1071923757 |