Study Offers Patent, Copyright Reforms

RALEIGH—The length of time for copyright protection, which extends for the life of a creator plus 70 years, is excessive and society would benefit if that period were shortened, the dean of the Barton College School of Business says. In a new study, John J. Bethune wrote that patents and copyrights should last for a period of time that will maximize the public good, yet still protect the motivation to innovate. While he concluded that copyright protections were too long, Bethune found that in some circumstances the current 17-year protection for patents was too short.