US and UK lead the way in global IP index
The US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) has published its international IP index, which assesses the IP protection regimes of 50 world economies.
In the report, published today, February 7, the US ranked first for overall IP protection, while developing economies including Argentina and India climbed in the rankings.
India climbed eight places from last year’s index to reach 36th in the world in 2019. GIPC praised Indian lawmakers’ efforts to bring the jurisdiction into closer alignment with international IP standards, noting the country’s accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s internet treaties and its pursuit of a “patent prosecution highway” with China.
Argentina, meanwhile, climbed from 46th in 2018 to 40th place in this year’s index, with GIPC attributing the strong performance to efforts to streamline patent prosecution and increased international cooperation on IP.
The index analyses 50 economies from across the world, representing 90% of global GDP. David Herschmann, president of GIPC, said that the report “illustrates that countries with robust IP systems are more likely to experience increased global trade and investment, greater R&D activity, and stronger global competitiveness”.
Economies were assessed on 45 indicators across eight separate categories, including patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets and enforcement.
The report placed a particular focus on China, which ranked 25th, noting that concerns over the alleged theft of trade secrets by Chinese companies have dominated trade disputes between the US and Chinese governments.
While praising efforts by Chinese policymakers to improve IP protection in the country, GIPC said that, ultimately, only a focus on “transparency, fair trade, and nondiscriminatory pro-innovation reforms” would boost China’s standing in world IP protection in the long run.
GIPC also criticised the European Commission’s proposed supplementary protection certificate (SPC) waiver. The waiver would allow generic and biosimilar drugs to be manufactured while under patent protection, provided they are intended for export outside of the EU jurisdiction.
Manufacturers would also be able to stockpile generics and biosimilars during the last two years of the drug’s patent protection for eventual release onto the EU market.
“Unfortunately, the Commission appears to have lost sight of the fact that IP rights, including SPC protection, have been central to the success of Europe’s research-based biopharmaceutical industry”, the report said.
The UK remains in second place in the world for IP protection, the report said. In its analysis, GIPC said that the top ranking of the US and UK shows that “the countries stand side by-side as global leaders in IP protection and enforcement.”
In a statement sent to WIPR, Tim Moss, CEO of the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), said that he was “delighted” by the UK’s performance in the “widely respected” index.
The report “reaffirms the UKIPO’s world-leading position in the IP environment and underlines the UK’s strength as one of the best locations for innovative businesses to grow and prosper”, he added.
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