Economic Contribution of Copyright-based Industries in Pakistan

The copyright-based industries contribute substantially to the national economy in the form of value addition, tax revenues, trade and employment. This study highlights both the core and non-core copyright-based industries in Pakistan. With the technical guidance of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and National Institute of Cultural Studies (NICS), we conducted the first ever survey of the copyright-based industries in Pakistan. The estimates of contribution to GDP, tax revenues, trade and employment were also validated through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Our findings reveal that copyright-based industries contributed Rs 136 billion to GDP (on 1999-2000 base year prices of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics). These industries also contributed Rs 18 billion to the government in indirect taxes. On the trade side, the exports of these industries totalled $ 943 million and imports amounted to $2130 million in 2007-08. In terms of job creation one of the core sub-sectors i.e. electronic media employed around 47,000 persons by the end of 2011. JEL Classification: 034, F10, E24 Keywords: Copyright, Economic Growth, Trade and Employment