commonly known as wipo. wipo has grown to 184 member states and its new director general issued a statement honoring world intellectual property day, which pledged to ensure that the intellectual property system continues to serve its most fundamental purpose of encouraging innovation and creativity that the benefits of the system are accessible to all, helping to bring the world closer. robust and effective laws combine with effective enforcement are absolutely necessary to meet the general's global ambitions. according to the department of commerce, intellectual property -intensive industries employ nearly 18 million workers, account for nearly 50% of all u.s. exports, and represent 40% of the country's grolte in the united states. -- of the country's growth in the united states. it's estimated that the u.s. intellectual property is worth between $5 trillion and $5.5 trillion. the credit for this success belongs to our great innovators and for our robust intellectual property law which is have enabled inno