At the point where something is copied the creation process has already occurred. The fundamental idea behind IP is that it will put incentives on people to create as they can guarantee big profits afterwards.

But is this incentive adequate in modern society? I would argue it is worth revisiting. A lot of the science that is done around the world is already funded by governments with no guarantees of patent success, so it is clearly possible. Open source software also shines a light on the willingness of people to create amazing things for everyone...