To further Anotheroneagain's point, the basic assumption is that an idea needs to be protected separate from the execution. And potentially, help small companie

To further Anotheroneagain's point, the basic assumption is that an idea needs to be protected separate from the execution. And potentially, help small companies make the best from their invention. That flies in the face of reality where the devil is in the details, and the execution usually matters more than the idea. Then applying for patents is a burden for small companies that has little upside when the 500 pound gorrilla can step on them and litigate the hell out of it, dragging any court proceeding for years if not decades. Looking at the Masimo case for instance, even as they're clearly winning on the legal standpoint, Apple sold 3 generations of watches before anything happened, and the ban is only on the US imports until perhaps some more years of litigation.