Copyright Industries Warn Against Piracy Threat
By Bethanne Patrick -- Publishers Weekly, 7/21/2009 7:16:00 AM
At the 2009 International Intellectual Property Association release of the 2003-2007 “Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy” report at the U.S. Department of Commerce yesterday, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke noted that this copyright-generating “fastest-growing sector” of the nation’s economy needs to help “level the playing field for U.S. industries overseas” because of its global reach.
Millions of dollars are lost each year in physical and virtual piracy of intellectual property, said Locke, who spoke at length about the types of safeguards, including a web site and 800 number for counterfeits and fakes that have been set up so that America’s innovative and creative industries can continue to bolster the nation’s longstanding commitment to intellectual property.
Tom Allen, President of the AAP, echoed study author Steve Siwek’s findings that the U.S. sets “the global standard” in intellectual property. “America has the comparative advantage, particularly when it comes to developing countries, when it comes to copyright…Our copyright industries play a very important role in the expansion of economy.”
The IIPA found in its latest study, “Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy: The 2003-2007 Report” that the economic impact and contribution of U.S. copyright industries--including theatrical films, TV programs, home video, DVDs, business software, entertainment software, books, music and sound recordings--continues to lead the U.S. economy in their contributions to job growth, gross domestic product (GDP), and foreign sales/exports.
Said IIPA president Eric H. Smith, “The 2009 edition of this study shows how significantly the U.S. copyright industries contribute to the U.S. job and revenue growth, wages, and to U.S. international trade. Because these industries that depend on creativity and innovation contribute so significantly to economic growth and job creation in today’s economy, our government, and governments throughout the world, must redouble their efforts to provide a safe environment for them to prosper.”
Allen and his colleagues, which included the heads of the Recording Industry Association of America, the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Business Software Alliance and the National Music Publishers’ Association, all noted statistics such as the real and growth estimates of the “core” copyright industries being twice those of the rest of the economy. They also agreed that the most frightening issues facing copyright industries are the global threat of piracy, and the corollary threat that piracy poses to new creative works. As Jean Prewitt of IFTA noted, “If distribution problems overseas are not properly handled, then piracy attempts can result in films that will never be made and jobs that will never get created.”
The AAP’s Allen concurred that piracy issues are of paramount importance. “While we may have other difficulties in publishing right now, like digital issues, piracy is part of the much larger picture that we have to address. If we keep this from becoming bigger, we’ll have a chance to return to our industry-specific problems.”
