EPO–EUIPO Joint Study: IP and Innovation in European Sectors

A new joint study by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) highlights the substantial contribution that intellectual property rights (IPR)–intensive industries make to the European economy, employment, and international trade.

The study shows that industries making intensive use of intellectual property play a central role in driving GDP growth, job creation, cross-border trade, and investment across the EU. These sectors span a wide range of activities, from technology and healthcare companies that rely heavily on patents, to clothing, food, and luxury brands built on trademarks, as well as creative industries such as music, film, and video games that depend on copyright.

The study is the fifth edition in a long-running series that has, for more than a decade, quantified the economic importance of intellectual property rights in the EU. Covering the period 2021–2023, the latest edition identifies 361 IPR-intensive industries, which together generate an average of €7.7 trillion in economic activity per year, accounting for almost 48% of the EU’s GDP.

The analysis points to particularly strong growth in sectors such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, electronic component manufacturing, and electricity production, underlining the close link between innovation, IP protection, and industrial performance.

For the first time, the study also incorporates start-up funding data, revealing a strong and statistically significant positive correlation between IPR intensity and access to finance. According to the findings, IPR-intensive industries attract the vast majority of private equity and venture capital investment in the EU. Between 2021 and 2023, €70.7 billion, more than 88% of all private equity and venture capital funding, flowed to start-ups operating in IPR-intensive sectors.

Read the full study.