Final answer:
Copyright and intellectual property rights control device access to files and are used by corporations to avoid copyright violations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Typically, copyright and intellectual property rights are used to control the number of devices that can access a given file and limit the kinds of devices that can access a file. Corporations often implement these measures to prevent copyright violations. Copyright is a form of legal protection aimed to prevent copying, for commercial purposes, of original works of authorship such as books and music. These rights ensure that the creators have exclusive control over their works, hence maintaining economic benefits derived from them.
State and federal governments have enacted laws to protect intellectual property, with implications such as those seen in the Supreme Court case MGM Studios v. Grokster (2005), where companies distributing file-sharing software that facilitated copyright infringement could be held liable. In this realm, patents and copyright laws play a pivotal role by providing creators and inventors with a legal monopoly, preventing others from making, using, or selling their work without permission for a limited period. This exclusivity encourages innovation and research, offering incentives like monopoly profits on a patented product for up to 20 or 21 years in the case of pharmaceuticals, for example.