[nicbou]

What if the discovery process is risky and expensive? Protecting the idea is what pays the investors back.

[kolpa]

I think the idea is that if you license your work for slightly less than the cost of copying, everybody wins. But if you refuse to license, it's a net loss. This model goes far but does break down as the ratio of cost of creation to cost of duplication increases.

[lmm]

I'd rather there be a few investors making products that I get to use than a lot of investors making products that I don't get to use.