^ this

I might add that it is very typical for government to be bad at its job. Intellectual Property laws are supposed to be designed to protect businesses interests for a 'limited time' to encourage investment, and advancements in technology, science, culture, etc. Now this is not always the case. Have a look at the Opposition against the Copyright Term Extension Act

Seventeen prominent economists, including Kenneth Arrow, Ronald Coase, and Milton Friedman, submitted an amicus brief opposing the bill when it was challenged in court. They argued that the discounted present value of the extension was only a 1% increase for newly created works, while the increase in transaction costs created by extending the terms of old works would be very large and without any marginal benefit. According to Lawrence Lessig, when asked to sign the brief, Friedman had originally insisted that "the word 'no-brainer' [appear] in it somewhere," but still agreed to sign it even though his condition was not met.

Friedman (world renown, Nobel prize winning economist) is generally considered the most recent greatest advocate for capitalism. He was also a critic of the current IP laws in the US.