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This isn't roads, it's something much more valuable, it's public domain research.

A road can only be used by a small number of people, public domain research can be used an infinite number of times, benefiting all.

Letting a single manufacturer get a patent on the process would be harmful.

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> Manufacturers may not have the money to do the research themselves, but are highly incentivized to incorporate the improvements if somebody else figures it out for them.

Which incentive is this exactly then if the cost is bore by society? "Polluter pays" creates both that exact incentive and the required funds for public research.

"Manufacturer" is typically a mom & pop owned facility in Pakistan.

"mom & pop owned facility" is a very charitable term for the kind of sweatshops western countries love to hide their modern variant of slave labor in.

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