If you can make a living on performances you have no problem with or without IP, though you are better of without. Live performances are more popular then ever at the same time as record companies are having troubles. Artists generally get a much greater cut of profits from live performances then records so this benefits artists. People generally has a limited budget for music and other cultural activities and downloading music frees more money for conserts as well as gives opportunities for easier discovery of new bands.
Most inventors work for big companies so the IP rights of their work belong to the big company anyway. But I won´t deny that there are a few musicians and inventors who benefits from the system. Though the big beneficiaries are the huge corporations that keep pushing for more IP rights. It would be to obviously selfserving if they said so so they prefer to hold up the poor musician and lone genius inventor instead.
But since you hold no love for these huge corporations I guess you simply think it is better with a system that benefits a few on the expense of the many? Even if it incidentally benefits these huge corporations the most? A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!
This is the opinion of the ex-programmers who are politicians, but musicians do not agree.
To me, "free IP" is merely a variation of "free trade" - another scam advertised as idealism.
For example was TRIPS promoted as part of "free trade" and opposed by those opposing "free trade". A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!
Look at the EU patent directive: not one big business talked against it. Zero.
How's that coherent with your view?
Only SME went to the fight, but commission listen only to big business and not to innovative SME.