The Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard 2022 Reveals Promising Results

Recently EUIPOs European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights published the third edition of one of its flagship studies, the Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard 2022. The study collects and presents in an easy-to-read manner clear data on how European SMEs protect their innovations and creative creations in multiple sectors.

The publication revealed that only 10 % of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU own registered intellectual property (IP) rights such as national and European ttrademarks designs and patents. These numbers definitely prove that there is room for improvement, considering that within that 10% of IP active SMEs 93% experienced a positive impact on their businesses.

Aiming to tackle the challenge that many of these small and medium-sized companies face when they decide not to actively protect their IP assets, direct mailing and survey campaigns were launched to identify the reasons for the lack of IP registrations. The primary reason for SMEs deciding not to register any IP is the lack of awareness of the benefits it can bring and the lack of a professional assessment for this purpose.

On the other hand, 15% of SMEs that registered IP and have suffered from infringement of their IP rights. Within those who suffered from infringement, 9 out of 10 sought enforcement measures, a promising result taking into account that most of the companies that are informed and aware of the benefits of these rights are then proactive when it comes to enforcing them.