There is one industry that is similar to software, but it has absolutely no intellectual property protection besides trademarks. It's the fashion industry. It

There is one industry that is similar to software, but it has absolutely no intellectual property protection besides trademarks. It's the fashion industry. It moves at a breakneck pace. Nobody claims the fashion world is dying or moving too slowly because of lack of legal monopoly protection. The competition is fierce, and consumers are rewarded with many great options. I'm sure other industries would do fine without patents.