2019 EUIPO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SME SCOREBOARD

EUIPO has released the 2019 edition of their “Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard” Report. This EUIPO Report is the second in a series of economic studies providing insight into why SMEs do or do not register IP rights, and what problems they encounter in doing so. These reports represent an up to date and relevant evidence base through which policies to support SMEs should be designed. 

Here are some of the relevant findings: 

• After registering their IP rights, 54% of owners claimed to have seen a positive impact. The main impacts identified were an increase in reputation (52%), turnover (39%) and ability to access new markets (37%).
• For those SMEs without registered IP rights, the main reason for not registering was a lack of knowledge about what IP is and its benefits. The percentage giving this reason has grown from 25% in 2016 to 38% in 2019.
• Only 25% of medium-sized IPR owners have professionally valued their intangible assets, and this drops to 20% for both small and micro-sized IPR owners.
• Although access to finance is one of the biggest issues for SMEs, only 13% of IPR owners have attempted to gain finance using their intangible assets. 

A copy of the 2019 Report and the executive summary can be accessed via the followingwebpage