What specific rules do you refer to? I'm not under the impression that things have ever been any better elsewhere. Europe does recognize "prior user rights,"

What specific rules do you refer to? I'm not under the impression that things have ever been any better elsewhere. Europe does recognize "prior user rights," which is a step in the right direction, but (at least in the UK) it still requires that the prior user have taken a significant step towards commercialization to benefit. I don't think that would really help US software startups.