Fountain Plus, Inc. a manufacturer of bottled water, has enjoyed rapid growth in sales of one of its flavored water products, Xtrafresh, for which it has a patent,

which has just expired. It now faces fierce competition from a number of other bottled water manufacturers in the case of Xtrafresh.

a. As a manufacturer in the bottled water industry,

what type of market does Fountain Plus Inc. Operate in

before and after the patent expired? Explain