More than 93% of SMEs with intellectual property rights report a positive influence in the EU
The third edition of the Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard shows outstanding statistics on how SMEs protect their inventiveness and innovation in 2022.
Only 10% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU have registered intellectual property (IP) rights, such as national and European trademarks, designs, and patents, according to the 2022 edition of the Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard, one of the EUIPO’s flagship studies, which was published by the Observatory.
Almost all (93%) SMEs with registered IP rights had a beneficial impact on their business, according to the 2022 SME Scoreboard.
SMEs cited the registration of their IP rights as improving the company’s reputation or image (60%), greater IP protection (58%), and long-term commercial prospects (48%).
IP registration importance
The SME Scoreboard data confirms the benefits of registering. A third of SMEs with IP rights (36%) claim to have made money from their registered IP rights.
SMEs responded that the stated reason for not registering was that they did not perceive any further benefits from registering IP rights (35%). Additionally, 20% of respondents said their intellectual property was not sufficiently inventive for registration; 19% said they lacked the necessary knowledge, and 19% said the registration standards weren’t fulfilled.
The research also looks into intellectual property infringement and how SMEs address this issue. 15% of SMEs with registered IP rights have faced infringement, which has cost them money and affected their brand. Nine out of ten of those SMEs have taken action to protect their intellectual property.
In the EU, 99% of enterprises are SMEs. They generate more than half of Europe’s GDP and employ almost 100 million people. Despite being severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, they are essential for advancing innovation and have a significant role in all areas of the economy.
In order to promote EU SMEs in the area of intellectual property, the EUIPO, the European Commission, and the national and regional IP offices of the EU have launched a number of initiatives, including the SME Fund, which was established in the wake of the pandemic and is still in operation. This grant program offers financial assistance to SMEs for applications for trademarks, designs, and patents as well as for individualized IP support (‘IP Scan’). Since it started in January 2021, more than 30 000 enterprises in the EU have submitted applications for this project.
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