US, UK lead 13th Global Innovation Policy Center IP Index

Photo by Olivier Darbonville on Unsplash

The 13th edition of the International IP Index, published by the Global Innovation Policy Centre, which is part of the US Chamber of Commerce, has again put the US in pole position for IP protection, followed by the UK.

In terms of changes since the 12th edition of the GIPC IP Index a year ago, there has been little movement among the top 10 economies in the latest Index compared with previous years. After the US (with a score of 95.17%) and the UK (93.98), the rest of the top 10 was made up of France (93.51%), Germany (92.42%), Sweden (92.09%), The Netherlands (91.26%), Japan (90.81%), Ireland (89.51%), Spain (86.74%), and South Korea (85.94%).

Major changes have taken place in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait which saw the largest improvements in overall score at 17.55%, 11.22%, and 8.87%, respectively, building upon momentum in recent years to strengthen IP protection across the Middle East.

The GIPC says it focuses on promoting policies that foster innovation and creativity, with a particular emphasis on intellectual property (IP) protection. Its annual IP Index benchmarks the IP framework in 55 global economies across 53 unique indicators and has the stated aim of tracking and supporting the development of IP protections around the world.

However, it has been criticised in the past for a focus on IP protections that may be interpreted as supporting the interests of large multinational and US companies, particularly those in the pharmaceuticals industry.

Be that as it may, the IP Index does stand as a useful review of where the economies representing an estimated 90% of the world’s GDP stand on IP issues.

This year’s Index argues that, in the 30 years since the World Trade Organization’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement entered into force, “the increase in IP registration, IP-related trade, and technology transfer illustrates how IP can enhance trade relations between global economies.”

It adds:

• Following the TRIPS Agreement, the rates of IP registration improved the most dramatically in regions that have historically had more underdeveloped IP systems, with a 450% increase in trademark filings in Africa between 1993 and 2023.

• The global volume of trade in IP assets increased over 17 times to $446 billion between 1990 and 2022.

• The proportion of overall trade in IP assets and technology transfer from high-income to low- and middle-income economies increased threefold from 1990 to 2023.

On the negative side, the IP Index 2025 warns that “ongoing drug price negotiations, continued uncertainty around patentability, and march-in rights proposals weaken the framework for American life sciences innovation.”

Further, “in the EU, the General Pharmaceutical Legislation would reduce regulatory data protection and weaken existing IP incentives, in turn undermining investment in innovation and exacerbating the existing trend of investment leaving Europe.”

On another key issue for 2025, artificial intelligence, the Index says that AI “has the potential to empower creative and innovative processes. Developing these tools responsibly and ethically while also ensuring full respect for IP protection is essential. Evolving artificial intelligence policies must be evaluated in light of these principles.”