shutterstock_1830639920_ricochet64
29 September 2022CopyrightStaff Writer

Only 1 in 10 SMEs own IP: EUIPO

Survey finds that 39% of small-to-medium enterprises did not see additional benefits of registering IP | But 93% of those with registered IP saw a positive impact | European Union Intellectual Property Office.

Despite the positive impact of registering IP, the majority of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) across the EU do not own registered IP rights.

The 2022 edition of the “Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard”—released yesterday, 28 September by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) through the European Observatory on Infringements of IP rights—found that only one in ten small EU businesses own registered IP rights.

SMEs represent 99% of all businesses in the EU, employing around 100 million people and accounting for more than half of Europe’s GDP.

According to the report, a third of SMEs stated that the primary reason for not registering was that they did not see additional benefits from registering IP rights (35%).

SMEs also mentioned other reasons, including thinking their intellectual asset was not innovative enough for registration (20%); insufficient knowledge (19%); or registration requirements not being met (19%).

However, where SMEs have registered their IP rights, 93% of them have seen a positive impact on their business. This included improved reputation or image of the company (60%), better IP protection (58%), and better long-term business prospects (48%).

Additionally, a third of SMEs (36%) that own IP rights said that they have achieved financial gain from their registered IP rights.

In terms of infringement, the report noted that 15% of those SMEs with a registered IP right have suffered infringement, most often of their trademarks. Nine out of ten of those SMEs took measures to enforce their IP rights, including via direct negotiations.

The majority of SMEs (85%) that own registered IP rights rely on specific measures to identify potential infringements of their IP rights, such as customer feedback, incidental information, or use of systematic monitoring.

Christian Archambeau, executive director of the EUIPO, Christian Archambeau, said: “Together with both the EU and the IP community, we can continue to act as a lighthouse to SMEs as they steadily navigate the world of intellectual property. One way to do so is ensuring that SMEs are aware of the benefits of protecting their innovation and creativity.

“We are also working closely with our partners to provide financial support and guidance so that every SME which creates IP that needs to be protected from infringement should be able to do so as easily and cost-effectively as possible.”

In August, the EUIPO and European Commission announced that its fund to help SMEs cover IP costs hit a milestone of 15,000 applications in the first half of 2022.

In January this year, the second edition of the fund—which was set up in 2020 to provide financial support for SMEs—was announced, with up to €47 million ($53 million) in funding available.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox.

Today’s top stories

Music collective to release data to boost artist royalties

Lindt secures chocolate victory at home

Already registered?

Login to your account

To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.

Two Weeks Free Trial

For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk


More on this story

Patents
2 August 2022   Fund receives 15,000 applications in first half of 2022 | Spain, Italy and Poland top three applicants | €47m fund set up in wake of COVID-19.