Global IP study: ‘Challenges remain’
February 10, 2017
By Colin Mann
The US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center has released its fifth annual International IP Index, The Roots of Innovation, rating 45 world economies on patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, enforcement, and international treaties. The economies benchmarked in the 2017 Index account for 90 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
“Just as a tree cannot grow without roots, innovation cannot thrive without intellectual property,” said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of GIPC. “In the 2017 International IP Index, we provide both an IP report card for the world and a guidebook for policymakers seeking to bolster economic growth and innovation.”
“This year’s Index shows that a clear pack of leaders has emerged: the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and the European Union. But all that invest in the systemic recognition and protection of IP stand to reap the benefits: foreign investments, healthier home-grown industries that export innovative products, and a reputation as a place where the world can do business. From the most developed countries to the least, countries that demonstrate a commitment to IP will reap a reward.”
“Governments from East to West all want the same thing: economic growth. Now more than ever, world economies must choose whether they will grow forward into the future or shrink back from endless innovative potential,” said Mark Elliot, executive vice president of GIPC. “Each year, this report attempts to highlight best practices among the world’s intellectual property environments. In 2017, many of the same challenges remain. Emerging markets, such as India, have made incremental gains and embraced positive rhetoric with their IPR policies, but they have not yet followed up with the legislative reforms innovators need. Some developed countries, including Canada and Australia, continue to implement policies that undermine their proud traditions of IP-led innovation. And even world leaders such as the US have room to grow and improve.”
The Index ranks the IP systems in Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam.