Passage Summary: Copyright laws are good because they encourage art, but they are bad because they create monopolies; right now, they last way too long because the downsides are bigger than the upsides.

Conclusion: Current copyright protections lasting for the author's life plus several decades are excessively long.

Reasoning: While copyrights provide incentives, they also create monopolies; the current duration's cost to society outweighs the benefit of the extra years of protection.

Analysis: This argument relies on a cost-benefit analysis to reach a moral or practical judgment. To support the reasoning, we need a principle that bridges the gap between 'the costs outweigh the benefits' and 'the law is too long.' Look for a general rule stating that a policy should only exist as long as its benefits to society are greater than its costs. The ideal principle will justify limiting a benefit once it becomes a net negative for the public.