“IP Is Half The US Economy”: Strong IP Laws Can Turn African Music Into Jobs And Exports, Says USPTO

By Ross Moyo

Strong IP laws are not just legal paperwork. They are an economic engine.

Isabel Martha Nakirya of Future Story, Uganda posed a relevant question at the Digital Press Briefing on IP for Growth with Ms. Katherine M. Hiner, USPTO IP Attaché for Sub-Saharan Africa asked: “How important is strong intellectual property protection in attracting investment into Africa’s creative economy?”

Hiner said: “Very important. You need those strong IP laws. You have to have that framework in place. In the US, IP-intensive industries account for 44% of total private sector GDP and 44% of private sector jobs — 65.8 million jobs. In 2024, they accounted for $11.4 trillion in US GDP.”

For copyright specifically, workers earn 130% more on average than in non-IP jobs, and that premium grew 30% in the last decade.

Citing IFPI data, Hiner noted SSA music markets have grown double-digits for 5 years in a row. “We know the value is there. We just have to invest in the framework to take it to the next level.”