The free download was not where they made their money - it was in the CD sales.
Just like Clerks could have made its money in DVD sales even though it would have been available for free download.
But that is entirely different from large projects that require budgets like computer games and movies.
Some movies and some games. Not all movies and not all games. We would still have great movies and games. They just might not be made using millions of dollars.
Um now you are being obtuse. CD sales requires that the shopkeeper pays a for the CD. DVD sales requires that the DVD be paid for. Absent IP protection, CD and DVD sales will go close to zero.
And you edited out my question. If the cost of the move to an IP less world is that you lose the movies and the games and the big research projects, do you think the tradeoff is still worth it?