That was always been the case. My question was rhetorical. The reason is multifold and complex but a key factor occurred in the 1980s when companies like MicroPro International/WordStar found that they could license software and obfuscate its source at the same time and that this was to their advantage. Back in the 1980s I recall having a conversion with Seymour Rubinstein (of WordStar fame and one of the key pushers of software licensing) about these matters.

I'm not implying that there's anything wrong with software licensing but that licensing 'extensions' have now gone way too far and they are having damaging impact on end users not to mention third parties as in the Volkswagen case.