Automaker BMW has filed a patent for a new fastener that takes design cues from its iconic segmented roundel logo. To a casual observer, this might look like a fun, or even novel and worthwhile, secure new fastener innovation. However, digging into the patent reveals that the goal may actually be an anti-competitive and right-to-repair-restricting maneuver. Naturally, sites like iFixIt and Adafruit are irked by the recently unearthed patent application, and the latter has already shown makers can do something about it.
Clearly, this isn’t the ‘best’ fastener design, as the world has already decided Torx and Hex rule the roost. However, the main argument against the BMW bolt or screw has been precipitated by the official patent application docs. Digging through the filing reveals that BMW wants its admittedly stylish fastener to be implemented “…to prevent being loosened or tightened…by unauthorized individuals.”
Repair-centric site iFixIt calls BMW’s plans “a logo-shaped middle finger to right to repair.” But the site says this isn’t a surprising move from BMW, which has a track record of trying to gatekeep its ecosystems.
However, Adafruit seems to think the BMW patent application is vulnerable, as the problems it addresses, the solution, and other aspects of the design aren’t really patentable. Other than that, the BMW screw is branding and merely cosmetic, it says. Thus, the “claim risks collapsing into a predictable variation optimized for brand identity rather than engineering necessity,” reckons the open-source community driven hardware company.
Adafruit demonstrated that it can design and 3D print a screw and bit that are very much like BMW’s proposed patented fasteners. Both plastic and metal 3D prints were output, and the maker-centric site says that the fastener and driver bit worked cleanly. Moreover, Adafruit provided some technical guidance for folks who may want to do the same. In addition to the design tips, it mentions that the material chosen for output should be “strong enough to survive sharp internal corners without fracture.”
While we didn’t see Adafruit actually share files created during its BMW patent-busting replica work, a little Google-fu found several others have already uploaded 3D printable screw and bit files. These may be useful if BMW's patent application sees this fastener implemented in production vehicles.
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