Movies PUSH Creative Rights Industries and $s

Movies, software, apps, videogames, books, journals, TV shows, music - these creative endeavors define our culture and social identity.  They also provide enormous economic benefits.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, core copyright industries contribute more than $1 trillion in value to the U.S. gross domestic product.  Add related industries, like toys, games, TV sets, computers, and mobile devices (such as tablets) and the total GDP contribution swells to $1.7 trillion.

Additionally, copyright industries are a huge engine for export revenues.  In 2012, this positive export surplus totaled $142 billion. Add to this the fact that the copyright industries employ over 5.4 million workers in high quality paying jobs - with salaries 33% higher, on-average, than in other sectors of the economy - and you wind-up with an economic juggernaut.

However, the copyright industries are under constant attack. The Commerce Department reports that 24% of  global internet bandwidth involves traffic on copyright infringing or pirating. Additional threats concern physical counterfeiting, market access barriers, and discriminating treatment of U.S. copyrights in foreign markets.  World governments want to embrace only parts of what the U.S. represents culturally - the parts they feel benefits them. The rest of what we artistically create is ban or pirated, or both.

Our cinema industry is at this storm's center and is the spearhead in the battle, to not only, preserve our copyrights industries but to see that they grow and prosper. So, whenever you get the opportunity, support our creative rights industries and protect their right to preserve their (our national) artistic creations.

Jim Lavorato