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>What if they had access to the IP that is currently locked away by the likes of Apple/Google? What if anyone who wanted to replicate a good design (and improve upon it) were able to do so without restrictions, or fear of lawsuits?

Then nobody would invest any money in releasing stuff and we would still live in the stone age.

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Here's an interesting article about 19th century Germany when no copyright laws existed yet:

The Real Reason for Germany's Industrial Expansion?

Did Germany experience rapid industrial expansion in the 19th century due to an absence of copyright law? A German historian argues that the massive proliferation of books, and thus knowledge, laid the foundation for the country's industrial might.

Found at http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/no-copyright-l...

Or maybe they'd move to offering services, like with software?

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