In response to a study released by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) today regarding the contribution of copyright industries to the U.S. economy, the following statement can be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) President and CEO Ed Black:
“There is no question that copyright-related industries – just like technology and Internet industries – contribute to the economy. However, we reject the implicit suggestion that more and more copyright protection is necessarily better. Research has indicated that approximately one sixth of the U.S. economy and one in eight jobs benefit from fair use and other limitations and exceptions to copyright. We don’t need more copyright — we need smarter copyright.”
(Using the same World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) methodology that IIPA employs, a 2007 CCIA report showed that industries dependent on fair use and other copyright exceptions made an even larger contribution to the U.S. economy than the “copyright” industries. ).