[sectiondetail]

This is specifically why SpaceX rarely patents anything. From a 2012 Wired article [0], Musk is on record as saying "We have essentially no patents in SpaceX. Our primary long-term competition is in China—if we published patents, it would be farcical, because the Chinese would just use them as a recipe book."

[0] https://www.wired.com/2012/10/ff-elon-musk-qa/

[paulryanrogers]

Which is sad in part because trade secrets can hold back healthy competition for generations. At least with reasonably limited patents society as a whole can learn without resorting to spying, leaks, or expensive reverse engineering.

[brianwawok]

Parents can also be used to stifle competition.

I am not convinced the no patent world advances any slower than the patented and heavily litigated world.

[rumanator]

> Which is sad in part because trade secrets can hold back healthy competition for generations.

What holds back healthy competition is having a deceiving competitor copy your protected work with no regard to your property or rights.