There's also the question of inequality. Granting monopolies exacerbates inequality, so a hypothetical short term boost to productivity growth might not transla

There's also the question of inequality. Granting monopolies exacerbates inequality, so a hypothetical short term boost to productivity growth might not translate into meaningfully better quality of life for most people. Government engineered barriers to competitive use of specific ideas could undermine the bargaining power of workers, and artificially inflate or support prices of key goods. It seems like an innovation supporting tax would be less restrictive, while still rewarding useful innovations that the market somehow fails to reward.