Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy: The 2011 Report”, underlines the size and significance of the US copyright industry. The report found that it added over $930 billion in value to the U.S. economy, represented almost 6.4% of the total GDP, employed nearly 5.1 million U.S. workers (nearly 5% of the total private employment sector), with jobs paying an average of 27% more than the rest of the workforce; and accounts for $134 billion in foreign sales and exports, significantly more than sectors such as aircraft, autos, and agriculture.

via TechCrunch.

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2 Comments

  1. Interesting article at TechCrunch. worth the time of the read to stay informed. TY RH

  2. Quite the long read, but worth it. Especially interesting to see the comments on the article. I just don’t understand how some see piracy websites as being altruistic, like the people running them are some sort of cyber free fighters. The reality is that piracy is profitable for the pirates, which is the main reason to put so much effort into those websites.

    To the naysayers, I agree that there are bad deals in Hollywood, and a long history of bad contracts in the music industry, but there are also independent content producers and small shops dealing with content theft. Should theft be used as a weapon of deterrence? I don’t see either bill mentioned as being THE answer, and I would expect more consolidation before we really see anything, if it ever even moves to a vote.

    Maybe cyber warfare and directly combating piracy websites would be functionally more effective than going through the legal system. Barely a year ago a small magazine was found to be taking images so they could put together their regional publication for the benefit of a handful of people working there. When a few photographers discovered their images in use, without ever being asked, then the people who ran the magazine tried to brush them off. When the news of that spread, the magazine found their Facebook page flooded with negative comments. Public opinion and action pushed these small thieves to stop. I don’t know that this is the answer either, but I applaud those who fight back.


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