EPO-EUIPO study: Intellectual property rights strongly benefit the European economy

25-09-2019 Print this page
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EUIPO press release: "Intellectual property rights strongly benefit the European economy, EPO-EUIPO study finds [...] 

 

Industries that make intensive use of intellectual property rights (IPRs) such as patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright generate 45% of GDP (EUR 6.6 trillion) in the EU annually and account for 63 million jobs (29% of all jobs). A further 21 million people are employed in sectors that supply these industries with goods and services. These are among the findings of a joint report released today by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) which analyses the importance of IPRs for the EU economy between 2014 and 2016.

 

In the period under review, employment in IPR-intensive industries grew by 1.3 million jobs compared with 2011-13, while total employment in the EU declined slightly. The value added per employee in these industries is higher than in the rest of the economy. Accordingly, IPR-intensive industries pay significantly higher wages: on average 47% more than other sectors, with the figure rising to 72% for patent-intensive industries. [...]


The report is the third in a series that tracks the contribution of industries making an above-average use of trade marks, designs, patents, copyright, geographical indications and plant variety rights to economic growth and employment in the EU.

 

IPR-intensive industries also account for most of the EU's trade in goods and services with the other regions of the world (81%). The EU as a whole had an overall trade surplus in IPR-intensive industries of approximately EUR 182 billion in 2016, counterbalancing a small deficit in non-IPR intensive trade. [...]"

 

Read the executive summary of the report here.

Read the full report here.
Read the full press release here.