The 2022 Intellectual Property SME Scoreboard by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) provides valuable data that could serve the implementation of the European Commission’s SME strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe and its IP action plan. 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 intellectual property 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.
In this context, the 1st Ideas Powered for business Network Event took place on 28 October at the EUIPO in Alicante. The Ideas Powered for business Network, which involves also INSME, included key organisations close to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of the event was to stimulate and reinforce behavioural change towards Intellectual Property, innovation and growth. INSME Secretary General Giovanni Zazzerini participated in the event as a speaker and discussed about IP matters, specifically the IP challenges that SMEs face and their needs in their internationalization process and concluded by providing policy recommendations to overcome such obstacles.
Source: INSME Secretariat
