There has been plenty of evidence about how intellectual property is actually counter productive and hinders innovation for a long time:

http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/against.h...

And is not surprising when you realize that it is basically the government going around granting monopolies to private entities, and what incentives that creates (the main incentive is to expand the monopoly power rather than to create and innovate, innovation is contrary to monopolies).