International Services Surveys: BE-93 Annual Survey of Royalties, License Fees, and Other Receipts and Payments for Intangible Rights Between U.S. and Unaffiliated Foreign Persons

These final rules amend the reporting requirements for the BE- 93, Annual Survey of Royalties, License Fees, and Other Receipts and Payments Between U.S. and Unaffiliated Foreign Persons. The BE-93 survey is conducted by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S. Department of Commerce, under the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act. The data are needed to support U.S. trade policy initiatives, compile the U.S. balance of payments, input- output, and national income and product accounts, develop U.S. international price indexes for services, assess U.S. competitiveness in international trade in services, and improve the ability of U.S. businesses to identify and evaluate market opportunities. The change to the BE-93 annual survey contained in these final rules is to add coverage of general use computer software royalties and license fees. This change will consolidate on one form all transactions in intangible rights between U.S. and unaffiliated foreign persons. Previously, royalties and license fees related to general use computer software were included on the BE-22, Annual Survey of Selected Services Transactions with Unaffiliated Foreign Persons, and all other royalties and license fees were included on the BE-93. Placing general use computer software royalties and license fees together with other royalties and license fees on the BE-93 will eliminate the possibility that some respondents would have to examine their accounting records on royalties and license fees for purposes of responding to two separate surveys. In addition, the consolidation will improve consistency with current international standards for the compilation of balance of payments accounts, which include general use computer software royalties and license fees in the same category as all other royalties and license fees.