No I do not underestimate profit incentives. I just realize that these things are not always so nefarious and there’s plenty of money for people to make by bringing things to market.
Regardless - cost effective, portable desal devices will be dramatically more profitable than sitting on a patent for 20 years (if even enforced!). Most people buying imported bottled water due so because they are lazy not because they are without access to potable water.
The point I got from it was that Germans can go basically anywhere with low effort. The similar shades reinforce that, as concepts like “Visa not required” and “Visa on arrival” are pretty closely equal in burden.