Joe has a patent on the widget. I can’t make a widget without violating his patent. I get a patent on an improved widget. Joe can’t manufacture the improvement. He’s incented to cooperate with me and I’m incented to innovate. Incented, not stifled.
Just allowing copying incents manufacture but not innovation. Even China is moving in the IP direction.
(In reality: enter China, who doesn't give a fuck and innovates anyway.)
(In real reality: unfortunately, the Chinese government is starting to enforce western IP more and more, due to economical pressures from the west.)
Berkeley invents CRISPR. Broad Institute invents improved CRISPR.
In a parallel universe, does John Galt invent CRISPR? Let's see. He'd have to spend millions on development and then wouldn't be able to recoup that because anyone could copy it. So no, Galt doesn't do this. He's free to do this but there's no incentive for him to do it.
Galt's world seems more like:
From each according to their ability
To each according to their needSimilar for chip design techniques, online stores and so on.
Then there's network effects. If you build a better class of phone, do you have to build out a whole new non-interoperable phone network in order to get it deployed?