Oh, I agree. I don’t see it as a conflict so much as a line of demarcation that needs to be codified. Rand was very clear that patent protection was a valid function of her stripped-down government. And it’s easy to see why from the Silicon Valley example. The entrepreneur’s return from his investment must be protected or there’s no incentive to invent; furthermore, he must be able to generate a surplus from it that is sufficient to fund further economic activity - that’s capitalism - or the new field of endeavor becomes the immediate property of the Orren Boyles, the most successful thieves. That’s crony capitalism, which can be successful enough but doesn’t compete very well with a truly free market because there are a lot of creative people out there who aren’t cronies.
K