U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: U.S. Chamber Releases Sixth Annual International IP Index

U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Feb. 8.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) today released its sixth annual International IP Index, “Create,” which analyzes the intellectual property (IP) climate in 50 world economies. The report ranks economies based on 40 unique indicators that benchmark activity critical to innovation development surrounding patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets protection.

“The results of this year’s Index illustrate a growing global commitment to IP-driven creativity and innovation,” said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of GIPC. “The majority of countries took steps to strengthen their IP systems and foster an environment that encourages and incentivizes creators to bring their ideas to market. While a clear pack of leaders in IP protection top the rankings, the leadership gap has narrowed in a new global race to the top. There is still work to be done, and we hope governments will use this Index as a blueprint to further improve their IP ecosystems and grow competitive, knowledge-based economies. When countries invest in strong IP systems, we all benefit.”

The U.S., UK, and EU economies remain atop the global IP rankings, though the U.S.’s lead narrowed due to systemic challenges to the U.S patent system. Japan and Singapore also appear among the Index’s top ten.

India, for the first time, broke free of the bottom ten percent of economies measured, due in part to the passage of guidelines to improve the patentability environment for technological innovations, as well as the implementation of some tenets of the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy. The country’s score, however, continues to suggest that additional, meaningful reforms are needed.

The Index also shows that a majority of the economies benchmarked are building more effective foundations for IP policy. Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, for example, each have long-standing programs to enhance coordination among government agencies responsible for IP enforcement.

The Index provides a guidebook for policymakers who wish to bolster economic growth, job creation, innovation, and creativity through a strong IP framework. It ranks the IP systems in Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, 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.

The International IP Index is available online here.

Original source can be found here.