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2022 Digital Discovery Report

Creativity is an engine for economic growth in the United States, and copyright protection is its fuel, particularly in the digital age. The economic and cultural contributions of America’s creators is unparalleled – leading by virtually every metric, whether through creating high-quality, well-paying jobs, increasing GDP, and driving U.S. exports and trade surplus. 


The Digital Discovery Report is a collection of independent reports by creative community organizations on those significant contributions of creators to the U.S. economy as well as the devastating cost of piracy on American workers and employers, both large and small. The Digital Digest demonstrates the immense importance of creativity and the power of creators to drive employment and wages and to promote economic growth, development and trade. 


The Digital Creators Coalition (DCC) is composed of business and labor organizations across the American creative community, and our members contribute significantly to U.S. GDP, employment and exports – collectively employing or representing millions of American creators and contributing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. The DCC is the voice for creativity in the digital age and we are united in our resolve that strong copyright protection for American creators should be a top priority for U.S. engagement globally.


View the 2022 Digital Discovery Report

The Power of American Creativity


The digital economy contributes critical resources to U.S. jobs, growth, and trade. Overall, American creative communities supplied the economy with 5.7 million jobs, $1.5 trillion in economic growth, and $218.7 billion in copyright sales overseas. In 2018, the U.S. digital services trade surplus for the licensing of intellectual property (IP) was valued at $80 billion, leading virtually every other category of U.S. digital services trade. By the same token, U.S. digital services trade exports for IP licensing reached $128 billion, outpacing nearly every other sector, including financial, telecommunication and computer information, transportation, and insurance services.


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