It isn't a free market. It is a regulated market and that regulation benefits both innovation and the producers and consumers in the market.
What public interest is served by allowing companies to engage in anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices like locking people into proprietary systems?
The world is a better place because regulators mandate things like interoperability in phones or requirements that auto manufacturers supply parts for 3rd party mechanics to fix vehicles.
What public interest is served by allowing companies to engage in anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices like locking people into proprietary systems?
The world is a better place because regulators mandate things like interoperability in phones or requirements that auto manufacturers supply parts for 3rd party mechanics to fix vehicles.