| MUMBAI:
Global piracy costs the U.S. economy $58 billion annually, nearly 375,000 jobs,
$16.3 billion in annual earnings and $2.6 billion in tax revenue.
The
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has released
its annual report on worldwide intellectual property rights
and enforcement.
The
Copyright Alliance executive director Patrick Ross says, "From
the biggest multi-media company to the individual graphic
artist working out of her home, global intellectual property
theft is placing ever-increasing strain on an already stressed
economy".
"Enforcing the intellectual property rights of creators
- large and small - on a global scale is daunting but is also
critical for a strong and vibrant US economy.
"Demand
for America's copyrighted works drives the nation's economy,
creates personally and financially rewarding jobs and contributes
to the positive side of the trade books. But intellectual
property theft on a global scale is threatening America's
creators.
"For
example, just this week I learned of a graphic artist whose works, as well as
others' illustrations, had been scraped off of his web site and repackaged without
permission by a Hong Kong publisher that is now charging
$100 for the book." Ross
applauded USTR for shining a spotlight on the issue of global intellectual property
rights with its annual report and pointed to two recent studies about copyright,
piracy and the economy. | 
