But you said that there is a moral justification for intellectual property rights. If there is one, this moral obligation would exist regardless of government. So what does this moral justification for intellectual property rights consist of? Does it last for 5 years? 10 years? 100 years? Forever? Whatever the government determines?
Someone who produces songs or books for a living is no less entitled to benefit from the fruits of his labor (if he can sell them) than someone who fixes cars or paints houses or weaves baskets. Theoretically intellectual property protection - allowing people to profit from their ip products - encourages innovation and better works.
When you ask how long the moral justification lasts, I guess you are asking how long I think gov't protection of ip rights should last? Certainly not forever. Intellectual property IS different from real property and personal property because of its very nature - it's easily reproducible, it's not finite. I don't know how long. Enough time to reasonably allow the creator to reap the benefits, but not so long as to stifle the free exchange of ideas, yadda yadda. You could probably argue that whatever time period I (or the government) says is appropriate will have an element of arbitrariness, and you'd be right. I did disagree w/the recent extension of the copyright laws.
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