-You believe ideas are properties. IP means Intellectual property.
-Ideas could be stolen, like any property, that is you take ownership of something letting the original owner without the ability to use it.
Europe and then US were developed copying and improving on the ideas of others. E.g Romans looked at people with mining knowledge and conquered them to acquire the knowledge(and the mines). They did the same with Greece. Toledo's steel real origin was a secret so Romans would not conquer them.
Europe benefited from ideas like powder manufacturing and improved over that creating dynamite. They improved over compasses making them suitable for sea navigation. Original compasses from China were terrible.
Britain copied the ideas and knowledge that lead to industrialization from the Netherlands, who had taken it from the rest of Europe, being at the end of a big river.
Then the US copied from England. Native Americans were exterminated as they could not copy the new ideas fast enough in order to defend themselves.