Musk vs. Bezos: SpaceX challenges Blue Origin’s rocket-landing patent

chickensevil · Sep 17, 2014

Musk vs. Bezos: SpaceX challenges Blue Origins rocket-landing patent - GeekWire

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is petitioning the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to overturn a patent awarded to Blue Origin, the space venture backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — arguing that Blue Origin’s approach for landing a booster rocket at sea is actually nothing new in the field of launching and recovering rockets.

Yikes! I hope this doesn't put a damper on SpaceX's ability to do water platform landings in the up coming test flights. How can you patent landing on a floating platform? Man, this is as bad as Apple patenting a shape...

tom66 · Sep 18, 2014

The patent system is fundamentally broken.

chickensevil · Sep 18, 2014

tom66 said:
The patent system is fundamentally broken.

You will get no arguments from me there. Trademarks/IP are even worse... But I digress.

I didn't think they really did much by way of patents with rockets because that stuff is so sensitive they didn't want to help give people ideas by making the patents.

I mean this isn't exactly a novel concept.

konefunk · Sep 18, 2014

chickensevil said:
Musk vs. Bezos: SpaceX challenges Blue Origins rocket-landing patent - GeekWire

View attachment 59324

Yikes! I hope this doesn't put a damper on SpaceX's ability to do water platform landings in the up coming test flights. How can you patent landing on a floating platform? Man, this is as bad as Apple patenting a shape...

Couldn't agree more. Patenting this idea is utter BS. Its not much different than patenting the use of multi-stage rockets to get into space, or using a high altitude flying platform as the initial launch vehicle. Maybe Space X should counter with a patent on vertical landing.......

Doug_G · Sep 22, 2014

Hmm... do patents apply to a test flight? IIRC patent law does not prevent you from building something that infringes and using it yourself. It prevents you from selling it to others.

tom66 · Sep 24, 2014

Doug_G said:
Hmm... do patents apply to a test flight? IIRC patent law does not prevent you from building something that infringes and using it yourself. It prevents you from selling it to others.

Pretty sure it does. There are patents on business processes for example, internal research etc. You can still be sued over infringing even if you don't sell a thing.

Doug_G · Sep 24, 2014

Ok, probably if you "make money" from it, even indirectly, then you are infringing. If you make something for personal use then not infringing.

rolosrevenge · Sep 24, 2014

Has Blue Origin's even had a single successful launch? They seem to be causing a lot of trouble for not producing anything...

physicsfita · Sep 25, 2014

I recall that the patent for communication satellites failed because Arthur C. Clarke described them in detail in one of his novels years earlier. Given the enormous number of 1950's/60's bad sci-fi movies that showed rockets landing on their tail, is there anything novel here?

chickensevil · Sep 25, 2014

physicsfita said:
I recall that the patent for communication satellites failed because Arthur C. Clarke described them in detail in one of his novels years earlier. Given the enormous number of 1950's/60's bad sci-fi movies that showed rockets landing on their tail, is there anything novel here?

Right, which is why I think the only thing "novel" is the specific patent covering landing on a floating platform in the water. This doesn't block landing on your tail, just if you happen to be landing on a floating platform on your tail.

But I agree that isn't much of a stretch, and there is a ton of art surrounding this idea that it is a ridiculous patent.

ggr · Sep 25, 2014

Harriers landing on Ark Royal? That goes back a long way.

Johan · Sep 26, 2014

It will be vey interesting to see how the Patent Office handles this one...

c041v · Sep 27, 2014

I'm wondering what the ramifications are if SpaceX just goes ahead and does it. Is it just a fine, or something more serious like jail time? Sitfling innovation through silly patents should be illegal. Make me think of the whole Ford Model E trademark fiasco.

I wonder if SpaceX could creatively use social media to garner public support saying "We know you've been waiting 50 years to see this really cool rocket landing, but Jeff Bezos won't let us."

Doug_G · Sep 27, 2014

Violating a patent deliberately exposes you to triple damages in a lawsuit. Of course proving what the damages are might be a little tricky.

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Musk vs. Bezos: SpaceX challenges Blue Origin’s rocket-landing patent

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