An effective business model does not require patents, because by the time someone copies your idea well enough to be a threat, you've already come up with a bet

An effective business model does not require patents, because by the time someone copies your idea well enough to be a threat, you've already come up with a better way to do it. Trying to make a business out of inventing one thing has never worked - you stay in business by inventing things faster than your competitors.