Comment by kbutler

> Of course it also serves the public to encourage inventors by giving them a limited exclusive use.

Yes.

> But primarily when instigated the purpose is a mutual benefit that is best embodied by education of the public arena as to the mechanisms and working of an invention.

This is the debate - how significant is the "education" aspect in promoting progress and public benefit? Is incentivizing new creation sufficient to promote progress without the (lacking) education aspect?

Then the whole question of whether the limited monopolies really create those incentives or just magnify profits that would already exist and open the door for abuse.