For years, various researchers have been announcing the end of industrial society and the beginning of a post-industrial society, where cultural and leisure aspects predominate. What has been called the information society and the knowledge society. Predicted by analysts, but rapidly developed thanks to the technological revolution in the media, and the entry, from a technological point of view, into the digital age. Perhaps a series of economic data and facts will help us to contextualize what we are saying. The latest estimates from international economic organizations place the world's GDP at around 33.000 trillion dollars; trade as a whole contributes 6.000 trillion dollars to that world GDP, which represents 18,8% of world GDP. Of those 6.000 billion, about 4.100 billion correspond to trade in goods, 1.200 billion to trade in services, and about 700 billion to trade related to aspects of intellectual property, which will be the most related to cultural aspects. Not by chance, in the trade negotiations, known as the Uruguay Round and which concluded in the Marrakech Act (April 1994), it was decided to conclude, for the first time, a trade treaty, which is the first attempt to regulate the commercial aspects of intellectual property, which under the name of ADPIC (in Spanish) or TRIPS (in English), was one of the most notable achievements of the Uruguay Round. This is not the time to examine the basic features of the TRIPS Agreement, one of the most complex and poorly drafted agreements created in the Uruguay Round, which is already giving rise to clashes between the various members, as is the case with the issue of generic medicines, or important ones such as the one that pitted the European Union against the United States, over Article 1. Section 110-5 of the United States Copyright Act raises the issue of the legality of charging restaurants and cafes a fee for copyright, and is very relevant in Spain at the moment. We simply want to highlight that the economic value of these cultural activities has continued to grow, as shown by the concern and attention paid to them by various international economic organizations. Other possible perspectives to confirm the economic value of cultural industries include remembering that today, one of them, the so-called old/audiovisual industries (film and television), constitutes the first export sector of the United States and one of the main manifestations of the so-called soft power or weak power, which paradoxically turns out to be the most permanent and lasting of the United States. As regards Spain, several sources agree that the contribution of the cultural industries to the national GDP is around 5% and that they employ more than 700.000 people, generally highly qualified. Within these cultural industries, the publishing sector stands out for its external activity, representing 0,8% of the national GDP and practically 1% of total national exports. Regardless of the quantitative data, which should always be cited, what we want to highlight when talking about culture, and this is another of its intrinsic economic values, is that cultural products and industries linked to language constitute a privileged instrument of national marketing, and, due to the symbolic contributions they entail, they are the main component for defining a brand image of the country and contributing to Spain's presence in a global market. In this sense, we have the added advantage of having one of the few universal languages, Spanish, far removed from the use of English, but with a greater presence than other languages and a good publishing industry that is a key instrument of cultural penetration in markets, such as those of Eastern Europe and the Far East. ::
Any questions about this news?
Talk to Coexia, the AI of the foreign trade
International business service providers
Barcelona Free Trade Zone
Public entity for economic revitalization, operates as an engine of industrial development in the Barcelona area.read more...
VUI - One-Stop Shop
The One-Stop Shop for Internationalization (VUI) is a space for information and advice.read more...
Asturex
Asturex, Foreign Promotion Company of the Principality of Asturias, SA is a capital company.read more...
PROEXCA
PROEXCA is a public company attached to the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge and Employment.read more...
Chamber of Madrid
The International Business Department of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce supports companies.read more...
Chamber of Spain
The Spanish Chamber of Commerce is a public law corporation and advisory body.read more...