I've heard, perhaps apocryphally, that binary blobs are one roadblock IC makers set up to keep rivals from going through their implementations and finding stuff

I've heard, perhaps apocryphally, that binary blobs are one roadblock IC makers set up to keep rivals from going through their implementations and finding stuff to base patent-infringement lawsuits on. (Just as in software, there are dumb hardware patents too.) I wonder if this 3rd-party disclosure might open MT up to lawsuits.