[reportingsjr]

You are very correct. It is still a valuable thing to have a research company where researchers and designers do not have to worry nearly as much about money.

AT&T/Bell Labs was a government regulated monopoly so it is definitely a different situation. AT&T watched very closely what they profited off of and made sure it stayed within the realm of telecommunications for fear of antitrust lawsuits.

Regardless even if no one else can access it for the first decade or two many innovations would still make their way out into other places.