Thirty-seven countries together representing more than half of world trade declared with one voice this week that “effective enforcement of intellectual property rights is critical to sustaining economic growth across all industries and globally.” They further noted: “[T]he proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods as well as the proliferation of services that distribute infringing material, … Read More >>
The State of Cybersecurity
This October is the seventh annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. So it seems fitting to note, in the manner of a State of the Union Address, that the overall state of our cybersecurity is quite good: The threat level is most assuredly high, but industry and government have … Read More >>
Closing Government’s IT Performance Gap
Propelled by the IT revolution, productivity in the private economy has grown in the last two decades at roughly double the rate of the 1970s and 80s. But as Federal Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients argues, government has for the most part missed the wave. The Department of Veterans Affairs still processes claims by hand … Read More >>
Hope for Breach and Security Legislation
Lawmakers have been working for five years — through three Congresses — to craft legislation that would help safeguard consumers’ personal data online and require that they be notified when there are breaches so they can take further steps to protect themselves. And now, the legislative finish line is in sight. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee … Read More >>
A Jolt of Stimulus for Local Economies
The software industry and trade officials who negotiate on software matters at times face incredulity when we encourage countries to step up enforcement of intellectual property rights. Some skeptical officials wonder (even if they don’t say aloud), “What’s in it for us?” They assume — falsely — that enforcing intellectual property rights boosts the profits of multinational firms that create software products but provides no significant benefit to a local economy where the software is being sold.
A new study from BSA and IDC shows that couldn’t be further from the truth. Reducing software theft actually sends ripples of stimulus through local economies. The new study finds that a 10-percentage-point drop in worldwide software piracy over four years would inject more than $142 billion into the global economy, create nearly 500,000 jobs and generate $32 billion in tax revenues. What’s more, 82 percent of those benefits would accrue inside the countries that achieve the piracy reductions.
The software industry and trade officials who negotiate on software matters at times face incredulity when we encourage countries to step up enforcement of intellectual property rights. Some skeptical officials wonder (even if they don’t say aloud), “What’s in it for us?” They assume — falsely — that enforcing intellectual property rights boosts the profits of multinational firms that create software products but provides no significant benefit to a local economy where the software is being sold.
A new study from BSA and IDC shows that couldn’t be further from the truth. Reducing software theft actually sends ripples of stimulus through local economies. The new study finds that a 10-percentage-point drop in worldwide software piracy over four years would inject more than $142 billion into the global economy, create nearly 500,000 jobs and generate $32 billion in tax revenues. What’s more, 82 percent of those benefits would accrue inside the countries that achieve the piracy reductions.