Use the excerpt from the U. S. Constitution to answer the question.
“Congress shall have the power 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;...”
Which argument best supports this power of Congress?
a. If a person has locked the intellectual property rights of an idea or an invention, others are precluded from taking that idea and potentially improving it.
b. Society benefits more from the intellectual pursuits of the individual and must seek ways to reward the inventors.
c. Instead of merely protecting private intellectual property rights, patents are aimed at competitors to keep them weaker in the business world by preventing them from using specific ideas, techniques, or procedures.
d. Periods of American and world history demonstrate that patents are not necessary for economic growth.