"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."

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

Sources

Speech on the Copyright Bill (5 February 1841)

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Babington_Macaulay