Global copyright protection against digital piracy and nontariff barriers to trade in basic telecommunication services are among the topics examined in the current issue of Industry Trade and Technology Review (ITTR), a quarterly publication of the U.S. International Trade Commission's Office of Industries.

Industry Trade and Technology Review contains articles originating from research and analysis conducted by U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) staff as part of its responsibilities to provide advice and technical information on industry and trade issues. The ITTR provides analysis of important issues and insights into the global position of U.S. industries, the technological competitiveness of the United States, and implications of trade and policy developments.

The ITTR is a publication of the Office of Industries. The opinions and conclusions it contains are those of the authors and are not the views of the Commission or of any individual Commissioner.

The current issue (August 2003) includes the following articles:

• Global Copyright Protection and the Challenge of Digital Piracy -- Overseas infringement of intellectual property rights has become a significant problem for U.S. publishing, software, entertainment, and other industries that depend on recognition of copyrights. Growing use of digital technology has increased the ease and speed with which infringers can illegally duplicate and transmit copyrighted products, thereby accelerating digital copyright piracy. This article discusses (1) the importance of copyright industries to the U.S. economy, (2) costs incurred by these industries due to overseas copyright infringement, (3) efforts to address copyright protections in international agreements, and (4) the challenges of digital piracy. Rather than protection afforded with technical measures by industry and trade policy actions by government, this article focuses primarily on copyright protections in international agreements.

• The Measurement and Effects of Nontariff Barriers to Trade in Basic Telecommunication Services -- This econometric analysis develops quantity impacts of impediments to trade in voice telephone services. These impacts, estimated on the basis of market, demographic, and policy variables, establish a baseline from which the achievements of future trade rounds can be compared. In a departure from previous studies, this approach draws on documents appended or pertaining to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to identify nontariff barriers to trade in basic telecommunication services and to estimate quantity impacts on this basis, for it is these documents that will reveal the extent of liberalization achieved by negotiation. The analysis finds that market access and national treatment commitments scheduled by the World Trade Organization members under the GATS, when complemented by commitments to pro-competitive regulatory principles and strict adherence to scheduling guidelines, may be formulated into meaningful policy variables. Such policy variables derived from GATS commitments are found to be statistically significant, as are variables for income and private sector ownership.

In addition, the publication includes an appendix charting key performance indicators for the steel, automobile, aluminum, flat glass, and services industries, as well as for North American trade. Industry Trade and Technology Review (USITC Publication 3640, August 2003) will be posted on the USITC's Internet site at www.usitc.gov. A cumulative list of articles published in the report series is also posted. The ITTR will also be available at regional federal depository libraries in the United States. To request a printed copy of the ITTR or to be added to the mailing list, contact the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202-205-2104.