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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, October 21, 2007

Copyright piracy costs U.S. $58 billion a year

Compiled by John MacIntyre

  • Cost to the U.S. in annual economic output due to theft of copyright-protected products, including films, video games, sound recordings, and business and entertainment software, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Innovation: $58 billion

  • Number of jobs lost by U.S. workers through copyright industry piracy: 373,375

  • Estimated annual earnings lost by U.S. workers: $16.3 billion

  • Estimated tax dollars lost annually by the U.S. government: $2.6 billion

    KNOW YOUR KIDS?

  • Percentage of U.S. adults who say they know their kid(s) best, according to a survey conducted by BIGResearch: 68

  • Percentage of males who say they know their kid(s) best: 44.5

  • Percentage of females who say the same thing: 92

  • Percentage of males who say their spouse/partner knows their kid(s) best: 53.4

  • Percentage of females who say the same thing: 5.9

    WELL-PAID IN THE WEST

  • Percentage of U.S. workers who say they are well-paid, according to an International Herald Tribune/France 24/Harris Interactive survey in the U.S. and the five largest European countries (Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Spain): 63

  • Percentage of British workers who say the same: 52

  • Percentage of German workers who say the same: 51

  • Percentage of Spanish workers who say the same: 50

  • Percentage of Italian workers who say the same: 46

  • Percentage of French workers who say the same: 42

    LANGUAGE BARRIER

  • Percentage of Americans who say they have a personal prejudice against Hispanics, per a survey conducted by ABC News: 10

  • Percentage of Americans who say they sometimes or often come into contact with others who speak Spanish rather than English: 78

    BILLION-DOLLAR KIDS

  • On average, amount U.S. grandparents spend on grandchildren per year, according to a study conducted by two Sacramento State University professors on behalf of Liberty Reverse Mortgage: $27.5 billion

    CHRONIC COSTS

  • Estimated number of workdays lost each year due to chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension, according to a report released by the American Hospital Association: 164 million

  • Estimated annual cost to employers: $30 billion

    GAS TAXES

  • Ranks of Washington, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island among the states with the highest gas tax per gallon, according to a study by CCH: 1, 2, 3

  • States that charge more than 30 cents per gallon in gas tax: 4

  • Amount charged by Washington per gallon, the highest in the country: 36 cents

    BUSINESS ISSUES

  • Percentage of senior executives who said that when dealing with mergers and acquisitions, they ranked people issues as extremely or very important, according to a business outlook survey conducted by Barometer Surveys: 84

    POPULAR COSTUMES

  • Ranks of Captain Jack Sparrow ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), Spider-Man and Dracula as the most popular movie-themed costumes for men this Halloween, according to a survey by Fandango: 1, 2, 3

  • Rank of Catwoman, Tinkerbell and Cinderella as the most popular movie-themed costumes for women this Halloween: 1, 2, 3

    DIY AND RELATIONSHIPS

  • Percentage of men who believe that working on home-improvement projects with another family member strengthens the relationship, according to the Dremel "Do-It-Yourself" Index Survey: 44

  • Percentage of women who feel the same way: 31

    SEEKING MONEY SKILLS

  • Percentage of employers who reported difficulty finding skilled accounting and finance professionals, according to the Robert Half International Global Financial Employment Monitor: 56

  • Percentage who expressed concern about losing top performers to other job opportunities: 43

    IDLE THOUGHT

    "We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run."

    — Roy Amara, engineer and futurist