I fully agree, except for the subscriptions. I'd say subscription and in-app purchase are the only ways that building apps can be financially viable. A one-time $1 per user is just too little. But at $10+ you'll be crushed by low cost competition. So I believe it is generally impossible to fund high quality apps with a one time purchase on the app store.

But what's the solution against copycats? I believe we should hold app stores responsible for counterfeit goods, the same way we'd punish Walmart for selling Chinese fakes. But then again, we kind of stopped enforcing that rule, too, as you can see with Amazon.

So effectively, the US has become the wild west for counterfeit products and copyright infringing apps.. Except, of course, if you're the movie industry.