Out now - 3rd edition of the EUIPO SME Scoreboard

EUIPOSME Scoreboard, designed to provide insight into why SMEs do (or do not) register intellectual property rights (IPRs). Data for the Scoreboard was collected among 8372 SMEs in all 27 EU Member States, 4278 of whom own registered IPRs and 4094 who do not.

(The EU Intellectual Property Office) has recently published the third edition of its

The highlights of the 2022 Scoreboard are as follows:

Only 10% of SMEs report that they own registered IPRs - but a huge 93% of SMEs that do have registered IPRs have seen a positive impact resulting from that registration. 

Most commonly, SMEs with registered IPRs reported that registration improved their reputation or image (mentioned by 60%), that it provided them with better IP protection (58%), and that it gave better long-term business prospects (48%).

The main reasons for SMEs to register IPRs are to help prevent others from copying their products or services (66%). However, almost the same number - 65% - said that registering IPRs increased value and image for their company. 63% said IPRs provided a guarantee of better legal certainty.

More than a third of SMEs (36%) that own registered IPRs have used them to successfully achieve financial gain (compared to 11% who were not successful).

In this latest edition of the Scoreboard, Christian Archambeau, Executive Director of EUIPO, says:

"Overall, the new SME Scoreboard shows, once again, that a large majority of SMEs may not know how to best profit from their intellectual assets or where to find support for the development of their IP business strategies". 

Marks & Clerk understands that running a business can be exciting, hectic and unpredictable - especially when you are starting out. For start-ups and spin-outs, we have a dedicated team to provide support and expertise. Cash-flow is usually tight in the early years and we’ll be sensitive to that. Initial and early stage consultations are free of charge. Our over-riding objective will be to obtain the IP rights that your company needs at a cost that is within your budget - without compromising on quality.

And as your business grows, we have the resources to match. We have a sizeable pool of experts so can source the right people to handle large and urgent projects even if these involve a range of technologies. If you’re looking to export, we have global coverage through our own offices and our close connections with partner IP experts in other firms. If you want to licence out your technology to generate income – or licence in tech to help you grow - we can advise on commercial contracts and perform due diligence.

So if you are an SME that needs help deciding whether to protect your intellectual property by registering one or more IPRs, and how to go about it, get in touch. And if you are a start-up or spin-out looking to get your IP properly protected from the outset, why not have a chat with our start-up team.