I don't get the fuss about copying designs. According to my local tram museum Werner von Siemens and others copied electrical engine designs from the US when they hit problems, too. Most people are just underestimating the amount of work reverse engineering is and how long replicating a product from scratch actually takes and overestimating the rarity of good ideas. After having been active with a medium business in the EU software patent discussions, I can say with conviction that nerfing patents (e.g. relegating their legal strength to something resembling trademarks, and shortening the protection time span) would make the world a better place. Even removing patents competely is probably better than the current situation where innovation and competition can be easily subdued, but I suspect that a weak patent mechanism can further improve innovation (as intended by the original law makers). Similar arguments can be made for copyright (IMO the extremely long duration of protection is the largest problem here; a broad noncommercial, private use exemption is probably a good idea, too, especially for kids and their parents, but not nearly as important as giving businesses more incentive to move fast).
