Part of the paradox, of course, is that "intellectual property" is protected
in the united states, normally using either the patent system or copyright
system.  Unfortunately, neither of these is directly applicable to software
(and especially firmware), so a product that relies on SW for its uniqueness
doesn't have the same protection as a written work or a mechanical gadget.

Having both patent and copyright system used and abused, and having seen
good and bad examples of what people consider "unique" sofwtare, the current
"fuzzy" state of software protection seems strangely appropriate :-)

BillW