Final answer:
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act increased patent and copyright enforcement to better protect intellectual property rights following a surge in patent applications.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act increased patent and copyright enforcement. This act was part of a broader response to the surge in applications filed for patents in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, which coincided with widespread technological innovations, including those stemming from the advent of the internet. The growth in the number of applications was also influenced by the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act.
The increase in enforcement was aimed at strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights, crucial for incentivizing innovation and ensuring that creators and innovators can reap the benefits of their inventions. Patents and copyrights are essential parts of intellectual property law, providing innovators with monopoly rights to market their inventions or creations for a significant 'period of time', which can be up to 21 years for patents, as seen in the context of pharmaceutical developments.