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25 January 2017Copyright

Copyright Alliance urges Trump to enhance piracy fight

The Copyright Alliance, an organisation representing more than 1.8 million creators and 13,000 organisations, has urged US President Donald Trump to enhance piracy laws and protect copyright.

In a statement published on Monday, January 23, the alliance asked Trump to stand with American creators and innovators by “promoting and preserving the value of copyright in the US and abroad”.

In a letter to the president, Keith Kupferschmid, president of the Copyright Alliance, said that few presidents have had a more “sizeable and diverse” copyright portfolio than Trump.

“Your experiences as a businessman have afforded you insights into the value and importance of copyright, and how copyright protections help drive the US economy and create millions of well-paying jobs and small businesses,” he said.

But he added that the prevalence of piracy is a blight on the US economy and culture, and urged Trump to enhance the protections afforded to creative communities, rather than diluting them.

“Weakening copyright or making it harder for creators and small businesses to obtain or maintain their protections weakens the value proposition for creators and small businesses, and may result in fewer jobs in the copyright industries,” said Kupferschmid.

According to the alliance, the core copyright industries added $1.2 trillion to the US GDP in 2015, employing nearly 5.5 million people.

It added that the growth within core copyright industries surpasses the average growth rate for other industries.

Between 2012 and 2015, those industries grew at a rate of more than 127% greater than the remainder of the economy, according to the Copyright Alliance.

“These statistics further prove that a strong copyright system that rewards creativity and discourages piracy is essential to a healthy and vibrant economy,” Kupferschmid added.

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