United States Constitution - Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8

The United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8, addresses the promotion of technology and the protection of intellectual property:

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;

To see scanned images and read transcripts of the original US Constitution visit http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html