In October 2016 together with the EU Intellectual Property
Office (EUIPO) we published our second joint study on the impact of IP
rights on the European economy in terms of GDP, employment, wages and trade.
The study found that some 42% of total economic activity in the EU (some EUR 5.7 trillion annually) is generated by IP-intensive industries, and approximately 38% of all employment in the EU (82 million jobs) is in industries that have an above-average use of IP rights. The report also found that average wages in IP-intensive industries are more than 46% higher than in other industries.
These industries also appear to have shown more resilience in
the face of the economic crisis. A comparison of the results of this study with
those of our previous edition, published in 2013, revealed that the
contribution of these industries to the EU economy has even increased slightly.
According to the report, IP-intensive industries account for
approximately 90% of the EU's trade with the rest of the world. The study found
that the EU is particularly strong in climate change mitigation technologies.
This sector employs 1.2% of the EU workforce, but generates 2.1% of the
economic output and accounts for a significant proportion of the positive
balance of trade between the EU and the other regions of the world.
According to the report, about half of all EU industries are IP-intensive, with engineering, real estate, financial and insurance activities, manufacture of motor vehicles, computers and pharmaceuticals among the top 20 IP-intensive industries in Europe.
