Report: C'right Industries Show Value, Rapid Growth

The core copyright industries?including music and home video?contributed $457.2 billion to the U.S. economy in 1999, according to a new study from the International Intellectual Property Alliance. The copyright industries' contributions accounted for about 4.94% of gross domestic product (GDP) and represented an increase of 10.9% from 1998.

From 1977-99, the value added to GDP by the core copyright industries increased 360%, according to the report. The real annual growth rate of the industries, adjusted for inflation, has been more than double the growth rate of the economy as a whole. Employment in the industry more than doubled from 1977-99 to 4.3 million workers, growing nearly three times as fast as the annual rate of the economy as a whole and accounting for 3.2% of total U.S. employment. Also, foreign sales from the copyright industries continue to "grow rapidly," with preliminary estimates for 1999 at $79.65 billion, a 15.1% gain over 1998.

Edward Murphy, president/CEO of the National Music Publishers' Assn., notes the "vital role" of U.S. copyright industries in fueling economic growth and says the numbers "stand as evidence of the importance of strong copyright protection worldwide."