Fair Use Generates $4.7 Trillion For US Economy

Hugh Pickens writes "The Hill spotlights a study released by the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which concludes that companies relying on fair use generate $4.7 trillion in revenue to the US economy every year. The report claims that fair use — an exception to the copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted materials — is crucial to innovation. It adds that employment in fair use industries grew from 16.9 million in 2002 to 17.5 million in 2007 and one out of eight US workers is employed by a company benefiting from protections provided by fair use (PDF). Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) says the reasonable fair use of content needs to be preserved; otherwise, content owners will control access to movies, music, and art that will no longer be available for schools, research, or web browsing. Lofgren tied the copyright issue with the question of net neutrality. Without net neutrality 'content owners will completely control and lock down content. We're going to be sorry characters when we actually don't see fair use rights on the Web,' says Lofgren. 'If we allow our freedom to be taken for commercial purposes, we will have some explaining to do to our founding fathers and those who died for our freedom.'"

Re:What a Stupid and Wrong Title

[elwinc]

You beat me to it.

I will point out that the $4.7 trillion figure sounds as exaggerated as the loss numbers claimed the RIAA.

Exaggerate? I don't know the meaning of the word!

Re:What a Stupid and Wrong Title

[Rogerborg]

You're right. This kind of sloppy hyperbole is precisely HITLER STRANGLING A KITTEN worse than the numbers that the xxAA pull out of their elbows during their lobbying rounds.

Re:What a Stupid and Wrong Title

[bunratty]

How dare you introduce facts into the discussion! I dream of a world where we have no copyright and 100% of our GDP is generated by unfettered use of content. Then get rid of patents and 200% of our GDP can be generated by freely sharing information!

Re:Tactics depend on the situation

[PopeRatzo]

The IP cartels can afford to employ professional liars

Yes, but Fair Use has God on its side.

Or at least morality and the common good for those of you who don't believe in fairy tales.

Copyright is murder.

Re:Tactics depend on the situation

[NickFortune]

Copyright is murder.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, nicely illustrates the shortfall between a trained professional and the enthusiastic amateur.

Thank you, your Holiness.I'd say the check is in the mail, but that would ruin your amateur standing, and thereby destroy my point :)