[ryandrake]

That’s the point: what makes “innovation” so good and noble, and duplication so bad? Why is originality the measuring stick?

I happen to think an inexpensive copy of a useful product is far better than a newly invented product that’s expensive or less useful.

Example: Cheap generic drugs vs expensive patented name brands.

[epicide]

Exactly. The obsession with "innovation" is how you get feature creep. You can improve something by copying it and figuring out how to do it easier/cheaper/quicker.