‘Fair use’ pulls in $4.5 trillion
p2pnet news | Freedom:- ” ‘Piracy’ of recorded music costs the U.S. sound recording industries billions of dollars in lost revenue and profits. These losses, however, represent only a fraction of the impact of recorded music piracy on the U.S. economy as a whole. Combining the latest data on worldwide piracy of recorded music with multipliers from a well established U.S. government model, this study concludes that recorded music piracy costs American workers significant losses in jobs and earnings, and governments substantial lost tax revenue.”
The quote comes from The true cost of sound recording piracy to the US economy, a colourful but fact-starved ‘report’ put about by the so-called Institute for Policy Innovation, the release of which sparked an interesting, but never concluded, exchange between p2pnet’s Jon Newton and IPI president Tom Giovanetti.
‘Piracy’ is also corporate entertainment and software cartel doublespeak for ‘fair use’
“The fair use of a copyrighted work … is not an infringement of copyright,” says the Fair Use exception to US copyright law, codified in Section 107 of the US Copyright Act of 1976.
But, fronted by the likes of the IPI, the corporate entertainment and software cartels are using their considerable political and financial resources to ensure the concept of Fair Use goes the way of the Dodo.
The cartels, and only the cartels, would benefit, in the unbalanced application copyright controls and, “Fair Use exceptions to U.S. copyright laws are responsible for more than $4.5 trillion in annual revenue for the United States,” says a new economic study released by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA).
Released at a briefing on Capitol Hill, it quantifies for the first time “critical contributions of fair use to the US economy”.
Companies benefiting from limitations on copyright-holders’ exclusive rights, such as ‘fair use,’ “generate substantial revenue, employ millions of workers, and, in 2006, represented one-sixth of total U.S. GDP,” says the 45-page Fair Use in the U.S. Economy.
“The timing proves particularly important as the debates over copyright law in the digital age move increasingly to center stage on Capitol Hill.,” says the CCIA, continuing:
As the report summarizes, in the past twenty years as digital technology has increased, so too has the importance of fair use. With more than $4.5 trillion in revenue generated by fair use dependent industries in 2006, a 31% increase since 2002, fair use industries are directly responsible for more than 18% of U.S. economic growth and nearly 11 million American jobs.
In fact, nearly one out of every eight American jobs is in an industry that benefits from current limitations on copyright.
Says CCIA President and CEO, Ed Black, “As the United States economy becomes increasingly knowledge-based, the concept of fair use can no longer be discussed and legislated in the abstract. It is the very foundation of the digital age and a cornerstone of our economy.
“Much of the unprecedented economic growth of the past ten years can actually be credited to the doctrine of fair use, as the Internet itself depends on the ability to use content in a limited and nonlicensed manner. To stay on the edge of innovation and productivity, we must keep fair use as one of the cornerstones for creativity, innovation and, as today’s study indicates, an engine for growth for our country.”
Fair use permits a range of activities critical to many high technology businesses such as search engines and software developmers, states the CCIA, adding:
As the study indicates, however, fair use and related exceptions to copyright are crucial to non-technology industries as well, such as insurance, legal services, and newspaper publishers.
The dependence of industries outside the high-tech field illustrates the crucial need for balanced copyright law.
It’s downloadable in .pdf format but be warned – accessing it froze our browser three times.
Also See:
interesting, but never concluded – Dear IPI: from p2pnet, August 28, 2007
CCIA – Fair Use Economy Represents One-Sixth of U.S. GDP, September 12, 2007
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