[twelvechairs]

Yes. It's the designers whose jobs are devalued because although they have created something of immense and enduring worth to society, their value to a (single) organization is much less.

That said it's a complex issue and patents have historically never really covered designers (look at the history of the motorcar, the plane, photography, architecture, etc.)

Also the iPhone is probably the exception - it actually did make a huge amount of money before being copied. Most design projects are far more marginal.