Düsseldorf, June 3, 2019 – Small and medium-sized enterprises that have their intellectual property rights protected are experiencing particularly strong growth in Europe. This is the conclusion of a recent study by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
According to the study, the probability of a growth phase is 21 percent higher for companies that have applied for at least one property right. It is 10 percent more likely that these companies will be among the fastest-growing companies. In the case of European property rights applications, this probability even increases further: by 17 percent. Furthermore, in their study the EPO and the EUIPO show the advantages of filing different intellectual property rights applications: Whoever applies for trademarks, patents, and designs instead of relying on a single category of intellectual property rights increases the probability of becoming a high-growth company by 33 percent.
A company is considered to have high growth if it can show an average growth rate of more than 20 percent per year for three consecutive years and has at least 10 employees at the beginning of the growth phase.
"The study once again confirms that it is worthwhile for companies to apply for intellectual property rights for their own innovations," says Hendrik Bücker, patent attorney and partner at Cohausz & Florack. "Our experience with medium-sized clients also shows that those who are innovative and have their ideas protected have the best chances of growing and asserting themselves in the market."
>> EPA-EUIPO study "High-growth firms and intellectual property rights"
