It always seems to get deployed as a "The West are the only true innovators" and ignored if its like... The Islamic golden age or whatever. Also like some Arabian merchant couldn't have seen a steam train and gone "Oh, that's a good idea", it required colonialism to get ideas like plumbing etc. all over the world.
Bleh
Copyright and patents function to underdevelop the countries preyed upon by the West.
Even as far back as the Watt steam engine there was such a broad patent that it effectively covered all steam engines apart from the inefficient Newcomen engine. Anyone who made a steam engine could and would be sued for infringing on the patent.
The capitalist West gets to develop itself through innovation and then yanks up the fucking ladder so no one else can follow them without paying exorbitant licensing fees.
Watt actually had to do a weird goofy gear arrangement (sun and planet) because the normal obvious crank was already patented too.