Comment by gjsman-1000

You’re assuming that without a patent, the RP2040 wouldn’t immediately have counterfeits flooding the market without any hope of legal action. This has happened with the ATMegas, this has happened with the ESP32s, this has happened with the STM32s, it’s a valid concern. You’re also assuming there wouldn’t be legal-ish pseudo-compatible clones, like the GD32 clone series of the STM32.