Ann: Hong Kong patent granted for 12CQ quantum computing chip, page-11

It will keep the players out that are honest/ethical, legit, cashed up, and knowledgeable enough to be able to reverse-engineer something. The players that are not honest/ethical, legit, but are cashed up AND knowledgeable enough to be able to reverse-engineer something, will also have to wait until the technology is ALREADY on the market (not due to a patent, granted (excuse the pun)), but then also have to be prepared to go to war with whoever Archer has partnered up with. Your point is that there are plenty of cashed up and knowledge players in the Chinese market that will happily-reverse engineer technology requiring some of the most skilled minds in the world in this field, and rapidly fabricate similar technology, all whilst being prepared to battle a large company not just like Archer but whoever they've partnered up with, like IBM? Possible, but I think unlikely. Large Chinese chip manufacturers need to be able to sell abroad, not just within their domestic market, so I think they'll need to be on good terms with the large Western chip manufacturing companies. I will happily eat my hat in ten years from now if required!