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Intellectual property

IP-intensive industries generate around 45% of EU GDP (EUR 6.6 trillion) and directly employ 63 million people (29.2% of all jobs) in the EU annually; they account for 63 million jobs (29% of all jobs). A further 21 million people are employed in sectors that supply these industries with goods and services (Source: EUIPO-EPO).

Intellectual property (IP) is key to drive innovation, growth, competitiveness and job creation in Europe. European innovation is vital to ensure that the European Union (EU) can maintain its global leading role in developing sustainable solutions to cope with mutual challenges prompted e.g. by consumer safety, urbanisation, digitalisation, climate change, lack of food and clean water, a growing ageing population and health issues.

IP protects the fundamental intangible knowledge-based assets which are essential for investments and efforts by European companies to provide tangible solutions to society. IP generates business opportunities and should be considered one of the fundamental pillars of the EU industrial competitiveness.

IP should be underlined among general EU industrial policy goals and should be part of any industrial policy discussion. Raising awareness of the benefits that IP offers should also be a priority.

Publications

Public letters Date
TRIPs waiver extension - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to Valdis Dombrovskis 29/09/2022
TRIPs waiver - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to Valdis Dombrovskis 06/04/2022
Response to the Covid-19 pandemic and TRIPs waiver - Joint industry letter to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General 11/06/2021
Position papers Date
Call for evidence for an impact assessment on compulsory licensing in the European Union - BusinessEurope comments 28/04/2022
The Intellectual Property Action Plan Roadmap - BUSINESSEUROPE comments 11/08/2020
Legal affairs strategy for the next political cycle 01/10/2019
Comments on the EUIPO draft strategic plan 2020 (SP2005) 04/09/2019
State of intellectual property in third countries - BusinessEurope reply to the European Commission public consultation 28/05/2019
EUIPO Strategic Plan 2025 consultation - BusinessEurope comments 26/02/2019
BusinessEurope comments on the European Patent Office (EPO) strategic plan 2019-2023 11/02/2019
Commission proposal on a supplementary protection certificate (SPC) manufacturing waiver for export purposes - BusinessEurope comments 15/01/2019
Cyber-enabled industrial espionage - BusinessEurope statement 04/10/2018
Potential inclusion of intellectual property (IP) in the scope of the Hague Convention on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements - BusinessEurope comments 28/09/2018
Potential inclusion of intellectual property to the scope of the Hague Convention on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments - BusinessEurope preliminary comments 13/11/2017
Press releases Date
A solid intellectual property system is key for EU business 16/09/2019
Reports and studies Date
Intellectual property - Priorities for the next institutional cycle 16/09/2019
Last updated: 15 September 2023