The first recorded use of toilet paper was in 320 AD by the Chinese. They must have not realised they should patent it. A very prominent US corporation has tried to patent natural products e.g. plants that the “local” people have been using for medical purposes for thousands of years.

American corporations have been moving of-shore for decades. Much of their produce has been sold in the US, usually after “third country invoicing” so that they sell ex the country of manufacture for e.g. $6 a pair of shoes, these are retailed in the destination country for about $ 180. I bought shoes in Indonesia. retail, for $ 12 in 1995 that were retailing for $ 180 in Australia. The “third country profit” would have been about $80. Indonesia was not manipulating their currency. The US government subsidised grain production for a great many years to compete on export markets because their cost of production was too high, even though the wages they paid and the cost of fuel was below that for some other countries which were trying to compete in international trade. Europe followed suite with some agricultural products (mainly to keep French growers in business). Saudi Arabia offered to sell wheat to New Zealand for about $ 95 a ton when it cost them almost $ 700 a ton to produce and transport. The minimum wage in the US was held constant for ten years and was about half the rate in most developed countries at the start of that period. As long as it was attractive to illegals it was OK as far as American business was concerned – particularly fruit growers.