> Strava's version is not an act of "innovation" that needs protection from being "stifled" Who said it was? > Big companies can afford to patent ideas they s

> Strava's version is not an act of "innovation" that needs protection from being "stifled" Who said it was? > Big companies can afford to patent ideas they steal from small ones that can't Has Strava patented this idea? If not, how is that relevant? -- People will copy. Footpath, like any other app, used a lot of mapping and mobile app ideas invented by dozens of people over the years. Hell, they literally use (not just copy) OpenStreetMaps, yet you won't see that in the App Store description, just a mention in their website's FAQ. That's just how innovation works, everyone copies from everyone, and we're better off for it.