The Political Inquirer

This is a speech made in 1841 in England regarding copyright extension. Relevant in 1841. Relevant in 2002. Relevant today.

At issue was whether to extend copyright to 60 years. Ultimately, they opted not to extend copyright. Now we have Disney-driven copyright laws and modern computer technology completely mired in handling copyright instead of innovating.

An excellent, representative paragraph from the speech:

I believe, Sir, that I may with safety take it for granted that the effect of monopoly generally is to make articles scarce, to make them dear, and to make them bad. And I may with equal safety challenge my honourable friend to find out any distinction between copyright and other privileges of the same kind; any reason why a monopoly of books should produce an effect directly the reverse of that which was produced by the East India Company’s monopoly of tea, or by Lord Essex’s monopoly of sweet wines. Thus, then, stands the case. It is good that authors should be remunerated; and the least exceptionable way of remunerating them is by a monopoly. Yet monopoly is an evil. For the sake of the good we must submit to the evil; but the evil ought not to last a day longer than is necessary for the purpose of securing the good.

Read it, it’s brilliant.