I think you might be getting Cloning mixed up with Evolving Tech Design. Cloning is where one company does a direct 1:1 copy, top to bottom (sometimes even the Logo's and packaging), with inferior materials and craftsmanship, then sells it at a reduced price. I have some of those Clones myself.
Evolving Tech Design is what the Automobile Industry has done for decades. One car comes out with a new and revolutionary design, like Fords Flat Head
v8 engine, then the next thing we see, Chevrolet has a V8, then Chrysler is coming out with a V8, all copied in part from the Ford V8, but better. That's Evolving Tech Design.
In the Ares
rta I see some Siren, some Berserker, and the way those posts capture the wire (I've seen that before, just can't remember from what atty), and some innovation that advances the whole design to be even better than either the Siren or the Berserker (the
juice dams on the deck for one). That's really how Innovation Evolves. Also, a lot of companies figure out how to make the very same item as their competitor, but make it Faster and Cheaper and of the same or Better Quality, and that runs their competition out of business because they now have a product that is too expensive for them to make and they can't keep pace. That's Business.
Hey, I'm not trying to bust your chops, I would never do that, it's just the way I look at all of this, so, I would guess it's a "Point, Counter Point" discussion on what a Clone is.