U.S. Royalties and Fees From All Transactions

The United States is a net exporter of technology sold as intellectual property, although the gap between imports and exports narrowed during the late 1990s. During the first half of the 1990s, royalties and fees received from foreign firms have been an average of three times the amount U.S. firms pay foreigners to access their technology. Between 1996 and 1998, receipts plateaued at about $3.5 billion. In 1999, receipts totaled nearly $3.6 billion, little changed from the year before but still more than double that reported for 1987. (See figure 6-13 figure and appendix table 6-7.)

Japan is the world\'s largest consumer of U.S. technology sold as intellectual property, although its share declined significantly during the 1990s. In 1999, Japan accounted for about 30 percent of all such receipts. At its peak in 1993, Japan\'s share was 51 percent.

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c6/c6s1.htm#c6s1l8
appendix table 6-6