Intellectual Property Law

Why is the title to real porperty permanent whereas some intellectual property is limited in the time it is?

Why is the title to real porperty permanent whereas some intellectual property is limited in the time it is protected?

Public Comments

1. Wow... that is the most thought provoking question i have read on Yahoo Answers. I am but a mere mortal and will think about this one for awhile. some thoughts to start: 1. real property ownership concept has been with us for a long time. 2. intellectual property is a more recent idea. 3. real property is a finite thing, they are not making any more of it. 4. man's ideas are always being bested and improved upon. limited useful life perhaps. 5. you could in fact retain a lifetime hold on intellectual property by never disclosing it to anyone.
2. Yes this might look odd, but we have to bear in mind that not all forms of intellectual property are protected for the same period. The period of protection of copyright for example, has two parts: financial rights, which are protected for a certain period, and moral rights which are eternal. By financial rights we mean the royalties that must go to the author when someone uses their creativity. Moral right is the right to have your creativity attributed to you, and this eternal. For example, Elvis songs will be attributed to him forever, even if he or his offspring are no longer getting financial benefit from it. Most of the other forms of intellectual property are renewable.