The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) carried out a study measuring the importance of Intellectual Property rights (IPR) in the EU economy. The results show that about 39% of total economic activity in the EU is provided by IPR-intensive industries, and approximately 35% of all employment in the EU is directly or indirectly generated by these industries.
The study, called “IPR intensive industries: contribution to economic performance and employment in Europe”, took into account major IPR for developing its findings, namely patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights and geographical indications.