I&#x27;m not convinced it was a net plus even 100 years ago. E.g. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Wright_brothers_patent_war" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Wright_brothers_patent_war</a>