There's an element of 'taking things for granted' and 'displaced sense of entitlement' that imho is the antagonist in this discussion.
Let's say a valuable IP has yet to be created. Choose your own example, something that is worthwhile to you and it takes significant resource to be developed and can't be done overnight: - Cure for cancer - An epic movie/game with huge budget - An uber firmware for n900, giving it Rosetta Stone capability to run android, iOS, WebOS and WPhone7 compatibility - Whatever If said IP does not exist today and the creator asks you point blank "Will you pay $100 for this today, so I can work on it for the next x months and you can have it when it's finished?" Then people will probably say "Yes." Because right now that LUXURY does not exist yet and they realize the true value of said IP. Things evidently change drastically when said IP has materialized and it's just a matter of CTRL-C and CTRL-V combo to acquire it.