copyright intellectual-property open-source-software patents hardware
How to patent a technology as public domain?
<p>If an inventor comes up with a technology that could benefit humankind and instead of keeping it for themselves they decide they want to make it freely available to all, what would the legal process be for securing a patent for it that would make it public domain (like open source software, but for technologies that could be patented)?</p>
<p>And how can this be made to be honored internationally, so that no individual or company can claim ownership of it? That is to say, any individual or company can <em>use</em> it because nobody can <em>own</em> it.</p>
<p>Tesla is said to have &quot;open sourced&quot; some of its patents. But after taking <a href="https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ca6c332f-2cc5-401b-b80d-36473d0754c7" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A Closer Look at Tesla’s Open-Source Patent Pledge</a>, it seems it is instead pledging not to bring lawsuits against companies that infringe on those patents. This is of course not quite the same thing as making the patents public domain.</p>
<p>So now I am wondering: <strong>Is there any way to legally declare a technology as belonging to everyone?</strong></p>
<p>It occurred to me that maybe the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Creative Commons licenses</a> are flexible enough to be used for technologies as well, but I'm not certain. I've only seen those licenses used for creative works, and since no filing is required, the process seems a bit different than the patenting process for technologies.</p>

<h2>Publish it</h2>
<p>Once an invention is in the public sphere it is ineligible to be patented.</p>
