the horse is out of the gate on photocopiers and before them printing presses but that doesn't make using them without the rights to what you are copying legal
I would go as far to say a vast amount of our creative economic output would cease tomorrow if we had strict 'right to read' copyright enforcement. You can also thank Disney for extending copyright beyond all reason.
but we aren't talking about right to read. we are talking about right to read and then regurgitate and distribute/sell a derivative work of what you read with substantial similarities such that it harms the market for the original work.