EU experts tell the tale of Europe’s failure to translate great knowledge into marketed products
EU Intellectual Property Office's (EUIPO) building, Spain. Photo credits: EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
Often forgotten or overlooked, intellectual property (IP) sits at the heart of Europe’s battle to realise its innovation potential. Here’s a little explainer on why you should care about it.
Last week, the chief economists of the EU’s two intellectual property bodies sat down for a conversation at the European Commission’s annual ‘knowledge valorisation’ conference.
Taking turns, Nathan Wajsman from the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and Yann Ménière from the European Patent Office (EPO), explained why IP is “the plumbing of the modern economy” as Wajsman called it.
IP is a driver of competitiveness: Ménière started off by highlighting that intangible investments, such as those protected by IP, grew at three times the rate of tangible investments, such as machinery and equipment, between 2008 and 2023. In most advanced economies…
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