Press Release
from the Institute for Policy Innovation
from the Institute for Policy Innovation
‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’ Highlights Need to Step Up IP Efforts
GOP Senators Could Block Critical Anti-Piracy Measure
By Erin Humiston on 09/19/2008
But at a time when policy makers must bring all hands on deck to confront the threat of piracy, a group of Senate Republicans could stall legislative efforts to enhance intellectual property resources. The proposal, while likely needing some work to ensure that Internet companies do not unjustly bear a burden for others’ bad acts, would provide law enforcement resources for finding and catching thieves, and would make prominent a federal coordinator to oversee enforcement of the Constitutional right to intellectual property.
According to the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) report, “The True Cost of Copyright Industry Piracy to the U.S. Economy,” rampant global piracy has “hornswoggled” the U.S. out of $58 billion in economic output and 373,375 jobs per year.
Thought leaders must recognize that intellectual property products, such as copyright-protected materials, deserve the nation’s utmost protection and are the most important growth drivers in the U.S. economy, responsible for nearly 40% of economic growth and nearly 60% of growth in U.S. exports.
The IPI study, authored by Stephen E. Siwek, principal with Economists, Inc., sheds light on the damages from copyright piracy to the national economy as a whole, not just to U.S. copyright producers and industries.
Because of global and U.S.-based piracy of copyrighted material, (including motion pictures, sound recordings, video games and software) every year:
· The U.S. economy loses $58 billion;
· U.S. workers lose 373,375 jobs;
· U.S. workers lose $16.3 billion in earnings, including $7.2 billion in earnings from workers in the sound recording industry or “downstream” retail industries, and $9.1 billion in earnings by workers in other U.S. industries; and
· The U.S. government loses at least $2.6 billion in tax revenues, including $1.8 billion in personal income tax and $800 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.
“Piracy harms not only the owners of intellectual property but also U.S. consumers, workers and taxpayers,” says Siwek. “It is clear that the problem of copyright piracy should be afforded a prominent place on the policy agenda in coming years.”
The Institute for Policy Innovation is an independent, non-profit public policy organization based in Dallas, Texas. Experts are available for interview by contacting Erin Humiston at (9720 874-5139 , or erin@ipi.org.
-###-
-###-
