The cheerleaders at the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) have
released another report on copyright statistics, commenting that
For the first time, the core copyright industries added over US$1 trillion in value to the U.S. economy in a single year, accounting for almost 6.5% of the total U.S. GDP.
The IIPA - representing enterprises "creating, producing, distributing, broadcasting or exhibiting copyright materials, including computer software, videogames, books, newspapers, periodicals and journals, motion pictures, music, and radio and television programming" claims in
Copyright Industries in the US Economy: The 2013 Report that "the core copyright industries" -
- employed nearly 5.4 million U.S. workers in 2012, accounting for 4% of the entire U.S. workforce, and 4.8% of total private employment in the U.S, with jobs paying an average of US$85,644 (33%) more than the rest of the workforce.
- grew at an aggregate annual rate of 4.7%, more than twice the rate of growth for the U.S. economy (ie 2.1%).
- accounted for US$142bn in foreign sales and exports, "far more than sectors such as aerospace, agriculture,
food, and pharmaceuticals and medicines".
- in 2012, the value added by the core copyright industries to US GDP exceeded US$1 trillion dollars for the first time, accounting for nearly 6.5% of the US economy. The value added by the total copyright industries to GDP exceeded US$1.7 trillion dollars, accounting for 11.25% of the US economy. (Total copyright industries include those which are “partial copyright,” “non-dedicated support,” and “interdependent industries.”)
- the total copyright industries employed more than 11.1 million workers in 2012, accounting for 8.35% of all U.S. employment, or 10% (9.99%) of all private employment in the United States.
- average annual compensation paid to employees of the total copyright industries in 2012 - US$75,926 - exceeds the US average annual wage by 18%.
- sales by select U.S. copyright sectors in overseas markets amounted to US$142bn in 2012, a significant increase
over previous years.
- as a comparison, the foreign sales of select copyright industry sectors exceed foreign sales of other major U.S.
industries, including aerospace exports (US$106bn), U.S. agricultural exports (US$70bn), food (US$64.7bn) and pharmaceuticals and medicines (US$51bn).
The IIPA media release unsurprisingly quotes the co-chair of the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus as stating "in reaction to the study" that it
demonstrates that not only do U.S. copyright industries develop the creative works that inspire and entertain so many, they also provide high paying jobs and spur economic activity, consistently contributing to a trade surplus and adding substantial value to our GDP. This is why we must preserve and protect the works of our creative industry, so they can continue to drive economic growth and innovation with a uniquely American product.
And the payoff? Anyone who's read the leaked IP chapter from the TransPacific Partnership Agreement will be unsurprised to discover that the IIPA claims
To foster continued growth of this dynamic sector, we need strong and modern copyright laws that take into account changes in technology and the continuing harm caused by copyright piracy, especially as legitimate digital distributors continue to emerge. Vigorous enforcement of those laws is also critical to ongoing efforts to create and preserve good U.S. jobs, reduce persistent trade deficits, and foster durable economic growth.
