BELLINGHAM - In evaluating what's next in technology and the global economy, a technology expert believes a big battle that's being overlooked is between those nations that are inventing new products and those that are stealing the ideas.

The idea of intellectual property was one of many topics Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson had on his mind during a presentation Friday, Jan. 18, at Whatcom Community College. The event, put on by the Technology Alliance Group for Northwest Washington, included Anderson's annual top 10 technology predictions.

Anderson said that while a group of nations is busy inventing things, there is a growing group of national economies, particularly in Asia, that are finding it is cheaper to steal those ideas with few repercussions. This battle is becoming more intense, and he said it's one reason why job growth is not happening in the U.S.

"(At this point) it's not clear to me who will win this battle," Anderson said.

Anderson's 2013 predictions indicate quite a few technological trends will continue to develop. He expects tablets to become the dominate product among computer devices this year; that a majority of U.S. homes will have Internet-connected televisions, and e-book sales in dollars will beat adult paperback sales in 2013.

Anderson also predicts that 2013 is the year Google "gets its mojo back," becoming the next Apple in terms of creativity. He also believes the driverless car will become a serious global project. The complete prediction list can be found at the Strategic News Service website (tapsns.com).

While concerned about the stealing of intellectual property by other national economies, Anderson believes the U.S. economy will continue to be seen as the strongest and safest in the coming year. In Washington state, he's somewhat optimistic about state government helping the high-tech industry grow because of recently elected Gov. Jay Inslee's high-tech background.

Anderson also touched briefly on Canada during the presentation, noting that its economy remains in good shape.

"Canada continues its long, boring walk in the park," Anderson joked. "They are boring, but they pay their bills and don't do crazy banking things. I think Canada is great."

Reach Business Editor Dave Gallagher at 360-715-2269 or dave.gallagher@bellinghamherald.com. Read his business blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/business or follow him on Twitter at @bhamheraldbiz.