What do you propose as a replacement protection for intellectual property rights?
I don't have an answer to your question. I'm merely predicting (and I certainly could be wrong) how I see the concept of copyright being mooted by technology.
And IIRC, copyright is a relatively recent development in the history of human communications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
The first copyright statute was the British Statute of Anne of 1709, the full title of which was: "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned". Initially copyright only applied to published books, but over time copyright was extended to other uses, such as translations and derivative works.
You had asked about intellectual property rights. Here is some discussion on how that concept came to be. See pages 25-30 of this book.
The creation of the media: political origins of modern communications - By Paul Starr
This author would seem to argue that ‘copyright’ was created as something that served the interest of the state (control of the flow of information) and also served the purpose of a guild (Stationers).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Stationers_and_Newspaper_Makers
Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
Copyright