Chamber Study Highlights Tennessees’s Innovative Contributions
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) today released a report highlighting Tennessee’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 Tennessee’s economy,” said Dr. Mark Esper, executive vice president of the Chamber’s GIPC. In 2007, Tennessee received nearly 800 patents, and the software industry alone contributed to the local economy through the employment of nearly 1,000 people. Additionally, Nashville is home to the second largest music production center, Music Row, which contributed 19,000 jobs and $6.4 billion dollars in wages. In addition to software and music, Tennessee employed 61,476 high-tech workers in 2005.
“Indeed, Tennesseans are proven innovators,” said Esper. Tennessee native, Mark Dean holds nine IBM patents that IBM PC personal computers were based on. Additionally, the Grand Ole Opry, which began in 1925, honors country music legends, and is renowned as a live-entertainment phenomenon. “America has a unique story to tell, and Tennessee plays a large role in this story. Innovation and creativity are essential to economic growth and human advancement, and Tennessee’s IP contributions reflect this.”
The Tennessee 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.
