Why spend money on IP?
The subject of the report is the influence of intellectual property rights (IPR) on the economic performance of companies in the EU.
The main findings of the study are: Companies that own IPR achieve on average 23.8% higher sales per employee compared to companies without IPR. After accounting for factors such as industry, company size and location, this advantage increases to 41%. Employees in companies with IPR receive on average 22% higher wages than their colleagues in companies without IPR. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit particularly from IPR. Although only about 10% of EU SMEs own registered IPR, they report a 44% higher turnover per employee compared to SMEs without IPR. Companies that combine several types of IPR, such as trademarks and designs, see the highest increases in turnover per employee.
Consequently, there is a clear positive correlation between the ownership of IPR and the economic performance of companies in the EU. And a considerable potential for SMEs in particular to increase their competitiveness and profitability by acquiring and using IPR.The results underline the need to raise awareness of the benefits of IPR.
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