I believe even in Germany you cannot use the results of reverse engineering to copy the product and sell it commercially without violating some copyright law. But I'm not denying that patents can sometimes be helpful to protect against copycats.
I just think that prohibiting original independent invention in order to prevent copying is absurd because it punishes exactly the people who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of patents.
I just think that prohibiting original independent invention in order to prevent copying is absurd because it punishes exactly the people who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of patents.