On Tuesday 11 October, the EUIPO, through the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, launched the 2022 edition of the report on IPR-intensive industries and economic performance in the European Union. This is the fourth edition of the industry-level IP-Contribution studies, carried out jointly by the EUIPO and the EPO, which assess the value of intellectual property for the EU economy. The data from the 2022 edition shows that the contribution of IPR-intensive sectors to the EU economy is at its highest level since the period 2008-2010 in all aspects: job creation, GDP and export of goods and services.

This study shows that companies with a high number of intellectual property rights (IPRs) generate almost 4 in 10 jobs in the Member States and pay higher salaries. Furthermore, the contribution of these industries to the EU GDP amounts to 47.1 % of the total gross domestic product, worth 6.4 trillion EUR.

Impact of climate change and green technologies and trade marks

The year, industries patenting climate change mitigation technologies (CCMT) and filing green trade marks were analysed for the first time. The study showed that among IPR-intensive industries, the weight of industries engaged in these activities has increased in the last few years. Sectors intensive in CCMT patents or green trade marks account for more than 14 % of the EU’s GDP and represent a source of competitive advantage for Europe in the global economy.

IPR-intensive sectors in the EU internal market

IPR-intensive industries are the backbone of the EU single market, responsible for more than 75 % of trade within the EU. They are also a major driver of cross-border job creation, as almost 7 million jobs in EU countries are created by companies from other Member States, with a share of such jobs in IPR-intensive industries exceeding 30 % in some countries.

Background

The 2022 edition looks at the period 2017-2019 and covers a broad range of IP rights – trade marks, designs, patents, copyright, geographical indications and plant variety rights – as well as a variety of economic indicators. This study uses a similar methodology to the previous three studies released in 2013, 2016 and 2019 to provide an updated assessment of the combined contribution of industries that use IP rights intensively.

Download the full report.

Article first published here.