[mch82]

A key to changing this is to invest in public research universities that release research papers publicly & emphasize reducing the cost of manufacturing & distribution.

Another key is to fund nonprofit foundations that act as custodians of science & engineering tech released under open source licenses.

Software startups are possible because manufacturing costs have been minimized to near zero & key tech is effectively public domain. Hardware is about 20 years behind the curve, but open hardware licenses are appearing & patents expire quicker than copyrights.

[tachyonbeam]

I would add to that: encouraging people to choose open standards and technologies over closed systems that promote vendor lock-in.