Joint Study by the European Patent Office (EPO) and European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO): Business-Level Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights and Their Stable Economic Performance in the European Union
This study examines the economic outcomes of companies that own Intellectual Property (IP) rights, compared to those that do not protect such rights. The data for this study was collected from a comprehensive dataset covering the period from 2013 to 2022. The study evaluates over 119,000 companies across all 27 EU member states.
The scope of the research includes Patents, Trademarks, and Registered Designs and Models granted by the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), as well as national and regional intellectual property offices within the European Union.
Key Findings of the Study:
- Companies that own intellectual property rights perform better than those that do not protect their rights.
- Companies with IP rights generate 23.8% higher revenue per employee compared to those without protected rights.
- When assessing factors such as industry, company size, and location, the revenue advantage increases to 41%, with an even greater impact observed among small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Companies with IP rights also pay their employees, on average, 22% higher wages than companies without rights.
- Finally, about half of large companies protect their intangible assets. Although only around 10% of small and medium-sized enterprises protect their rights, these SMEs show 44% higher revenue per employee compared to similar companies without IP rights.
How was this study conducted?
The sample of businesses analyzed in the study was drawn from the ORBIS dataset, a comprehensive source of financial and demographic variables for businesses of all types and sizes. The dataset integrates intellectual property records by matching companies with granted patents, protected trademarks, and registered industrial designs from multiple authorities, including the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and various national and regional IP offices within the EU.
To address sample distribution imbalances among EU member states and business sizes, the analysis uses stratified weights for descriptive statistics and incorporates checks for size, member state, and sector in econometric analyses. The methodology has evolved significantly from the 2021 study, featuring enhanced sample selection and matching processes, notably excluding businesses based in the United Kingdom from the current analysis.
