It seems the Gao are repeating something we have known here for many years, namely that copyright infringement and its impact on those who produce new material is not "devastating the economy" as the media Cartel claim, this after a whole year of looking for such effects.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20002304-261.htmlAfter spending a year studying how piracy and illegal counterfeiting affects the United States, the Government Accountability Office says it still doesn't know for sure.
"Some experts we interviewed and literature we reviewed identified potential positive economic effects of counterfeiting and piracy."
In a 32-page report issued Monday, the GAO said most of the published information, anecdotal evidence, and records show that piracy is a drag on the U.S. economy, tax revenue, and in some cases potentially threatens national security and public health. But the problem is, according to the GAO, the data used to quantify piracy isn't reliable, "Each method (of measuring) has limitations, and most experts observed that it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify the economy-wide impacts."
In what appears to be a setback for Hollywood and the recording industry, the government said that it sees problems with the methodology used in studies those sectors have long relied on to support claims that piracy was destructive to their businesses. The accountability office even noted the existence of data that shows piracy may benefit consumers in some cases.
Its nice to know the Gao is honest enough to refuse to follow the Cartels lead in making up figures that are nothing more than hot air to warm the backsides of politicians.
