Chamber Study Highlights Pennsylvania’s Innovative Contributions
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) today released a report highlighting Pennsylvania’s contributions to America’s innovation economy. This study is part of GIPC’s State Fact Sheets, which provide a look at the roles innovation and creativity play in each state. The report highlights local companies and facts demonstrating how innovation and creativity—which are safeguarded by strong IP rights—serve as a driving force behind economic recovery and future growth.
“Innovation and creativity are vital to Pennsylvania’s economy,” said Dr. Mark Esper, executive vice president of the Chamber’s GIPC. In 2007, Pennsylvania innovators received 2,500 patents, ranking 10th in the nation for patents granted. Additionally, nearly 21,000 Pennsylvania businesses were involved in the creation and distribution of copyrighted works in 2008, which is a 10.5 percent increase since 2007.
Esper noted examples of innovation and creativity in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State’s software industry employs more than 3,800 workers who earn over $340 million dollars in wages. Pennsylvania also employs more than 72,000 workers in cutting-edge bioscience fields and is ranked 9th in the nation for high-tech businesses.
“Indeed, Pennsylvanians are proven innovators,” said Esper. In 1886, Charles Martin Hall invented and patented the first aluminum to be produced in commercial quantities. Additionally, the Westinghouse Company implemented the first dual elevator in Pittsburg in 1931. “America has a unique story to tell, and Pennsylvania plays a large role in this story. Innovation and creativity are essential to economic growth and human advancement, and Pennsylvania’s IP contributions reflect this.”
The Pennsylvania State Fact Sheet is intended to be a resource for legislators, policymakers, and the public to identify successful companies, inventors, creative artists, and innovators to better understand the role they play in our economy and society. As part of an easy-to-use, interactive map, the State Fact Sheet project can be accessed online at www.theglobalipcenter.com, as well as in a printable format.
The Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center is working around the world to champion intellectual property (IP) as vital to creating jobs, saving lives, advancing global economic growth, and generating breakthrough solutions to global challenges.
The U.S. Chamber is the world’s largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.
