Copyright Term Extension Economic Effect on the New Zealand Economy

17 Pages Posted: 19 May 2016

See all articles by George Robert Barker

George Robert Barker

Australian National University; Wolson College, University of Oxford; Law and Economics Consulting Associates Ltd

Stan J. Liebowitz

University of Texas at Dallas - School of Management - Department of Finance & Managerial Economics

Date Written: April 27, 2016

Abstract

This paper reviews an estimate of the economic effect on the New Zealand economy of copyright term extension which was recently released by the New Zealand Government but which was tabled as part of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations on the IP Chapter. The estimate is that the average cost to New Zealand from the obligation under TPP to extend New Zealand’s copyright period from 50 to 70 years would average around $55 million per year. Our review of this estimate suggests it is clearly incorrect, and indeed seriously over-estimates costs. As we demonstrate, the expert report by Henry Ergas on which it was based made major errors. First it focused only on the well-known social costs of copyright while completely excluding the equally well-known social benefits from copyright, thus ensuring, given that New Zealand is a net importer of copyrighted goods, that term extension would be found to have a negative impact. Second it made serious errors in its calculations of the costs of copyright, leading to an enormous overestimation of the costs of term extension, as much as 77 times higher than a correctly performed analysis that follows Ergas' general procedure generates. Finally the New Zealand Government exacerbated these misleadingly high costs by assuming, completely out of thin air, a cost of term extension for film and television that was not estimated by Ergas, and then compounded this unfounded claim by including in its cost estimate “range” a high value from the Ergas report that was contingent on a particular legal result that was known to have not occurred by the time the government came up with its range. Finally, when converting Ergas’ present value results into a yearly value, the government inappropriately used a discount rate inconsistent with that used by Ergas, a decision that increased the estimated costs from what they would have been had a consistent discount rate been used, as was appropriate.

Keywords: copyright law, economics, Copyright Term Limits, Copyright Term Extensions, piracy digital economy

JEL Classification: K11, K29

Suggested Citation

Barker, George Robert and Liebowitz, Stan J., Copyright Term Extension Economic Effect on the New Zealand Economy (April 27, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2770914 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2770914

George Robert Barker (Contact Author)

Australian National University ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200
Australia

Wolson College, University of Oxford ( email )

Linton Road
Oxford, OX2 6UD
United Kingdom

Law and Economics Consulting Associates Ltd ( email )

Level 9 Chifley Tower
2 Chifley Sq
Sydney, New South Wales 2000
Australia
+61405 394 193 (Phone)

Stan J. Liebowitz

University of Texas at Dallas - School of Management - Department of Finance & Managerial Economics ( email )

800 W Campbell Road
Mail Station SM 31
Richardson, TX 75080
United States
214-566-2694 (Phone)
972-883-2818 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/

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