Today is World Intellectual Property Day, a celebration of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks and copyright, and a chance to learn more about how IP rights drive innovation and creativity. There is no shortage of ideas, services, and products coming out of the cable industry. Ultimately, these innovations shape the internet and television experience of millions of Americans and transform their way of life in every way possible. Internet service providers and TV programmers know how important it is to protect the IP behind these ideas.
This year’s theme for World IP Day is "Powering change: Women in innovation and creativity." In his message to people all around the world, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said, “On the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day, I call on everyone, everywhere, to ensure that we each do everything in our power to increase the full participation of women in innovation and creativity.” The cable industry is a huge proponent of this movement, and actively calls for gender parity in the workplace and on television every day. From providing professional leadership development opportunities, to hiring practices, to portraying stories of strong women on the screen, ISPs and programmers strive to do their part to make the industry a place where women and people of diverse backgrounds can come together and create the next transformative technology or the next must experience story.
The internet and television industry is all about challenging convention and sparking innovation in order to unleash tomorrow's next best innovation for Americans. But for that to happen, creators and inventors need to be able to take financial as well as time-consuming risks to execute their ideas. Intellectual property rights allow companies and innovators to do just that; to continue to ignite diversity and competition in the marketplace, and to continue moving forward with ideas that enrich the lives of millions of Americans.
