The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.8.8: "The Congress shall have Power … To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Under this provision, authors and inventors have exclusive rights to their creative projects by law for a designated length of time.
"One of the most important factors contributing to the unprecedented development of inventions and advanced industrial techniques in the United States is this provision of the Constitution. It has also contributed to the most elaborate and comprehensive publishing enterprise in the world. American books, American songs, and American machines have dominated most of the world because of the advantages and profits accruing to those who do creative work and function under the protection of this provision of the American charter" (W. Cleon Skousen, The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 430).
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