Innovation happens spontaneously and you'll get the irresistible urge to implement it. If the promise of a patent is your only incentive then you probably won't do a good job at it.
However there are people who may not be so ingenious, and pour nothing but a lot of time and effort into something. These may be the ones most interested in patents. However in a patentless world they still have the advantage of understanding their work the best, and that gives them an edge.
That being said, I believe anyone capable of understanding another person's complicated work has the right to duplicate it. In the end whoever can innovate faster, whoever is better at making it better, and whoever understands the concepts best will come out on top.
However there are people who may not be so ingenious, and pour nothing but a lot of time and effort into something. These may be the ones most interested in patents. However in a patentless world they still have the advantage of understanding their work the best, and that gives them an edge.
That being said, I believe anyone capable of understanding another person's complicated work has the right to duplicate it. In the end whoever can innovate faster, whoever is better at making it better, and whoever understands the concepts best will come out on top.