However, there's still the question of why this particular thing should have that protection. You could well stretch this and say engineers with massive student loans are equally up against the wall, and should get paid a piece if the code they write turns out to be very profitable later on. They don't all get equity in the company.

Also, you might consider how in the case of real estate, a restrictive covenant that runs with the land would make all your true statements open to more interpretation once the scope is expanded beyond contracts for good and services.