Quote:
Originally Posted by TGRR
My bad.
However, the constitution itself places no such limit on intellectual property laws.
There is no difference between saying that your idea is only your property for 14 years before anyone can use it, and saying that your home is only your property for 14 years, and then anyone can move in.
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No, the constitution doesn't specify exactly how long. But if you look at the copyright and patent laws during that period, and even after, it's pretty clear copyrights/patents weren't meant to stay in the hands of the creators for more than a short period of tiem. After all, the rest of the clause says,
To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times...
The courts extending the limits for decades is not in the spirit of what was meant.