Yes, I understand the motivation to incentivise competition and innovation. The questions I have are:
- is there enough proof that patents really increase competition and innovation?
- what are the downsides of protection by patents? (e.g. I see a change in incentives for pharma companies to search for the next blockbuster medication instead of incremental progress on working medication, with the risk of misallocation of capital. Plus, there is the incentive to employ droves of lawyers to fight for longer patents, instead of employing researchers)
In the end the good intentions may lead to less innovation.
As I wrote I completely agree with you. I think IP is a tool used by the bullies. The line drawn between physical and virtual is very insightful and helped me understand what I feel for a very long time now.