Today is World IP Day, and I can’t think of a more fitting time to launch ACE’s new blog, Alliance in Action. We are excited to join millions of artists, entrepreneurs, NGOs, governments and others worldwide in celebrating the value and positive impact of intellectual property and creativity on our society.
In future posts, our Alliance in Action blog will provide readers with more context on our key cases and initiatives as we work tirelessly to ensure that creative content is protected and supported around the world. From time to time, we will also feature guest blog posts from our members, partners and others to share their own experiences and perspectives on content protection.
This year’s World IP Day theme, IP and the SDGs, building our common future with innovation and creativity, revolves around the United Nations’ 17 Sustainability and Development Goals (SDGs). One goal in particular – Goal 8 – is an integral part of the ACE mission: To “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, decent work for all.”
It is only through a robust IP system that businesses, inventors, writers and artists can harness their creativity to produce a sustainable and inclusive economy, one where employment is available to all. When IP rights are infringed upon, worldwide economies are affected. Each year, the U.S. economy loses $29.2 billion in revenue and more than 200,000 jobs due to global online piracy of filmed content, according to one study.
It’s easy to think of digital piracy as a victimless crime, harming only large faceless conglomerates, if anyone. But that ignores the true role of the film industry and the impact digital piracy has on the millions of everyday people around the world who rely on the industry in their daily lives. In the United States alone, the film and television industry supports 2.74 million jobs and $105 billion in wages. For example, in the U.S. state, Georgia, investments by the film industry generated an additional $5.54 billion to the state’s economy and 60,000 jobs in 2022.
You may know people working in these jobs. They could be set designers, production assistants, hair stylists, or makeup artists. They could be caterers, carpenters, sound engineers or location scouts. The point is, each time a film or TV series is pirated, the ripple effects aren’t just felt by large companies. They are felt far and wide by people just like you.
As ACE continues to expand its global footprint and claim more victories in the fight against IP infringement, I’m confident we can raise awareness about the harms of digital piracy and the solutions we can develop together to protect the creative marketplace and help support, as the UN SDGs put it, “full and productive employment [and] decent work for all.” This World IP Day, I encourage you to join me in standing up for IP rights by enjoying your favorite content on legal services. In doing so, you are supporting millions of everyday workers and helping to create long-term economic growth.
