There are many laws which could hinder innovation, not the least of which is intellectual property law itself. What about safety regulations? Consider registering a car in Virginia. Every car must have an annual safety inspection, using a pre-defined list of criteria (lights, brakes, etc.). Now consider a car design that doesn’t fit neatly into this box, say a car that uses independent electric motors for power and braking. Does it pass the test in Virginia? Is it street legal? This doesn’t, of course, stop anyone from inventing, but without adoption an invention isn’t terribly impressive.