The value of IP is protected only by judicial fiat, legions of corporate attorneys, and the government's monopoly on force.

I don't entirely agree on the definition of art. My variation would be that yes there has to be some "metaphysical conceptualization", but it is entirely in the eye of the beholder. No intent by the artist/algorithm is required. In fact even if the artists intends to invoke deep themes in his work, it isn't really art if everyone else only sees it as a banana taped to a wall. I apply the same consumer-rule to canon in fictional works. Ultimately we the audience decide what derived works are canon, not the author.