Study: Fair Use Contributes Trillions to U.S. Economy

[n2doc]

By David Kravets April 27, 2010 | 1:57 pm | Categories: intellectual property
One study after another purports to chronicle how much intellectual property piracy hurts the economy, and contributes to every societal ill from terrorism to child porn and slavery.

A new study unveiled Tuesday sets out to examine intellectual property in a different light: How fair use — which doesn’t require permission from the copyright holder — actually benefits the economy.

The trade group, Computer & Communications Industry Association, in a follow-up to its 2007 report, asks: “What contribution is made to our economy by industries that depend on the limitations to copyright protection when engaged in commerce?”

For the year 2007, the fair-use economy accounted for $4.7 trillion in revenue (.pdf) and $2.2 trillion in value added, roughly one-sixth the total gross domestic product of the United States, according to the study. The fair-use economy also employed more than 17 million people with a $1.2 trillion payroll.

Fair-use-dependent industries include educational institutions, search engines, web hosting providers, software developers and device manufacturers, among others.



Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/04/fairuse-economy/

[n2doc]

1. kick n/t

[Nikki Stone1]

2. Worthy of greatest page

.