From the Public Domain to Mickey Mouse by Henry Mantel
“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.” - United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 The Intellectual Property Clause of United States Constitution gives Congress the power to grant copyrights and patents. Copyright law protects original works of authorship in a tangible medium, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works. Patent law protects new and useful processes, machines, products, designs, and varieties of plants. The first law regarding intellectual property was the Copyright Act of 1790 . The act allowed an author to obtain a copyright for a printed work for 14 years that could be renewed once. Violating a copyright was punishable by a fine of 50 cents per printed page of copyrighted material. Once a copyright expired, the work would enter the public domain , free to be used by all wi