The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
The Bulls, The Wire, The Godfather: Check out a few of President Obama's favorite examples of American creative works.
This week, we celebrated the creativity, ingenuity, and innovation of America's artists, inventors, and innovators who form the backbone of American culture and help drive the strength of our economy.
America's great creators deserve the strongest possible protections of their intellectual property -- so they can continue to make the iconic and innovative creations that help define who we are as a people.
After returning from Hannover Messe, a global trade fair in Germany that featured the latest industrial inventions from the U.S., the President took some time to list a few of his favorite examples of what America creates.
"If you swiped through my music collection, you'd find some Bruce, some Stevie, some Al Green. If you opened my iPad, you'd find the word puzzle games I love to play. If you looked at my bookshelf, you'd find Marilynne Robinson novels and Toni Morrison classics. And I bet if we compared collections, a lot of you have similar favorites - all hallmarks of American culture and creativity.
The thing is, so do people all over the world. American music fills cafés in Europe; American apps pepper smartphones across Asia, and American authors inspire readers from South America to South Africa to the South Pacific. When I was at the Hannover Messe global trade fair in Germany this week, I tested out some of the latest innovations from America's best entrepreneurs. It reminded me why American ingenuity leads the world. After all, our country itself was once a creative idea conceived by independent-minded people.
Today, the work of our creative and innovative industries supports more than 27 million jobs here at home and account for more than 60 percent of the goods we export to other countries. That's worth protecting from counterfeiters and thieves - and we are. When someone in a foreign country sells ripped-off copies of an American artist's music, a writer's film, or even your favorite athlete's jersey, we all lose. But strong intellectual property protections make sure no one can undercut our economy or take advantage of America's great creators - which is why we put those protections in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement covering nearly 40 percent of the global economy. With these protections in place, American innovators are free to create that unique brand of American culture that has shaped the heart and soul of this imaginative country for centuries.
When I got back from Hannover Messe, I took some time to jot down a few of my favorite works - proud examples of what Americans can create, and what we have to protect. Join me by sharing your favorites: http://go.wh.gov/rYKJ9LM"
