The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in commissioning a study on the economic contribution of the copyright based industries to the economies of the OECS. 

The immediate and specific purpose of the study is to measure the contribution of the copyright sector to GDP, employment and trade. Light will also be shed on the national and regional market structures of the copyright sector, value chain, demand and supply patterns, labour market, policy framework, support from public and civil sector including the role of collective management organizations and other copyright-related organizations, terms of trade and cross-border issues, financing mechanisms, implications of the digital environment, among others. Data on these will be used to clarify the meaning of the data on GDP, employment and trade. 

During the month of June enumerators from the Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia will be contacting persons involved in copyright-related activities, both at home and at their business places. Also, the survey will cover all districts throughout the island. Such broad coverage is required to ensure that both the formal and informal aspects of the Copyright Sector are evaluated.  

The Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights (ECCO) Inc urges full support for the survey which it regards as essential for creators, as studies conducted in many countries have revealed that industries based on copyright are major contributors in terms of their relative aggregate value added to a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as being major contributors to employment and foreign trade.  

ECCO General Manager, Steve Etienne says “The study will benefit our 400+ members by providing statistical evidence of the benefit that can be derived from supporting development and investment in this sector”

Subject Contact:

Mr. Richard Harris (at 285-7142), Ms. Martha Joseph (at 456-0500) and Ms. Stephanie Constantine (at 452 2648) at the Government Statistics Department or Steve Etienne, General Manager of ECCO (at 451-6436 or 484 1536)

Media contact; Raymond O’Keiffe Communications Officer OECS Secretariat  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  Tel. 1-758-455-OECS