Just because the cost to copy IP today is near nothing doesn't mean that there are not fixed costs into the generation of IP. Also you're right, patents and co

Just because the cost to copy IP today is near nothing doesn't mean that there are not fixed costs into the generation of IP. Also you're right, patents and copyrights are not there to create scarcity - an IP owner can use a license that allows absolutely everyone to use it. They exist to give the owner a timeframe with which to recooperate costs of IP generation (and yes, the copyright timeframe is too long but patents are reasonable).