The first patents were royal and at the pleasure (i.e.,, the length of which) of the monarch. In the US, they were supposed to be for 17 years, insuring that somebody who came up with the idea could exploit it first and then later it'd go into the public domain. Copyrights were for the lifetime of the author. Seems equitable to me. Now, though, the length stretches on out into the infinite future. And, you can now patent algorithms and ideas rather than just processes. 17 IT years is huge these days. And just having a patent doesn't mean much, except you have a right to go after those who infringe on your patent. He with the most money usually wins.