Volvo gave away the 1962 patent for their revolutionary three-point seat belt for free

The three-point seatbelt is now the seatbelt we most commonly see in cars, but that was not always the case. Seatbelts used to only be 2-point seatbelts, starting at one side of the waist and ending at the other. This would stop a person from flying out of a car in a car accident, but would not hold the upper body in place. In 1962, Volvo created the first 3-point seatbelt, with a 3rd attachment point above the shoulder for added safety. Instead of patenting the invention, they freely let everyone use it.