And the problem with applying this to software - as alluded to in the article - is that software is advancing at (disputedly but ostensibly) exponential paces.

And the problem with applying this to software - as alluded to in the article - is that software is advancing at (disputedly but ostensibly) exponential paces. If software patent timeout was geared towards progress instead of hindrance, it would follow the inverse of the path that copyright has taken: shortening the enforcable term instead of lengthening it.