"rights" and "freedoms"

[Richard Stallman]

    I don't understand this argument. Patents are expressly there to protect
    the inventor's right to make money from a new process that is otherwise
    easily copied.

The purpose of patents, at least in the US, is to promote progress.
That is stated in the US Constitution.

Whether patents actually do promote progress is a factual question.
The answer may depend on the field.  I am sure that in software they
do more harm than good.  I am not sure about other fields.