The word “trade” has several related meanings. For example, trade of goods and services. That one is a nuclei of specifically free market and generally — of civilization, one of, at least. In order to serve as such: a) trade must be beneficial for both trading parties and consequently, b) these parties have to have respective knowledge regarding traded goods or services. If a) and b) are there an act of trade has an engine in itself and happens sooner or later.
There is another, very specific or better say so-called “trade” — one of copyright. A variant of rationale for it sounds like: While copyright (say original one, an author’s) is in place, the general public suffers because of limited access to the respective work. When copyright expires, the author suffers because of “lost incentives.” That is copyright is a trade of sufferings.
That proofs nothing, of course. I only wonder why it doesn’t sound fishy for a normal ear. How a trade of sufferings may be beneficial just for anybody? Doesn’t it call for little thinking? For it sounds very similar to “trade of insults,” doesn’t it?