Intellectual Property. Copyright's Purpose and Principal Justification.

The article discusses the purpose of the U.S. copyright law and its primary justification. According to the author, the basis for the copyright law comes from the 1709 British law known as the Statute of Anne. He cites three core proposed justifications for copyright protection which include natural rights, economic incentive and property. Some of the arguments posed by scholars concerning the economic incentive theory are also presented.