The problem is of course how to prevent free riding. Why not just let my competitors throw their money at producing a high quality free CAD system while I just sit here and reap the benefits.
It's also a 'coordination problem'. If I take the time to make something that is ready to buy, that's very easy for end users, rather than trying to coordinate a bunch of people to sit around and wait for something to be created.
To me, the problem of free riders is irrelevant if you end up spending less on quality software; hopefully others will step up and help pay for improvements but it seems unlikely that this will become an issue that significantly tilts the competitive balance.
