US, UK lead 14th Global Innovation Policy Center IP Index - but EU states singled out for criticism

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The 14th 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.

However, the report says that scores in eight EU member states have fallen this year, which US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director John Squires called in a webinar to mark the 2026 edition of the report an “unmistakable and concerning trend.”

He added that it indicates that IP protections in some countries are suffering from “atrophy” which risks lowering global standards for innovation protection.

It is interesting, though, that since the 13th edition of the GIPC IP Index a year ago, there have been no actual changes among the top 10 economies in the latest report, which include many of the EU states criticised by this year’s IP Index.

After the US and the UK, the rest of the top 10 is made up of France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Japan, Ireland, Spain, and South Korea.

Squires said in the webinar last week:

“We need to ensure WIPO stays in keeping with its core mission to promote IP protection. Too often proposals are entertained that weaken IP rights or attempt to redefine IP rights in ways that undermine the incentives that drive innovation, the incentives that drive investment, the incentives that drive technological leadership. That is not what WIPO was created to do. WIPO itself states it is the United Nations agency that serves the worlds’ innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere. The Index you see tells a different story, and from what we’re observing in both policy and structure it seems the mission is being forgotten. Someone should remind them. We will.”

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.

Both the European Union and the World Intellectual Property Organisation have faced criticism from US government officials, IP experts and law firms over what are seen as policies which could damage IP protection.

It should perhaps be noted that the GIPC and the IP Index have in turn been criticised for using a scoring system that arguably reflects the interests of global companies based mainly in the US (particularly major pharmaceutical firms) and an American-focused interpretation of IP rights and how they should be defended.

Whether or not criticisms of the IP Index are valid, it does stand as a useful review of where the economies representing an estimated 90% of the world’s GDP stand on IP issues.

The summary of the 2026 International IP Index criticises eight EU nations for adopting policies that impacted their 2026 IP Index scores:

1. France (93.11% 2026, 93.51% 2025)

2. Germany (92.02% 2026, 92.42% 2025)

3. Sweden (91.72% 2026, 92.09% 2025)

4. Netherlands (90.89% 2026, 91.26% 2025)

5. Ireland (89.13% 2026, 89.51% 2025)

6. Spain (86.34% 2026, 86.74% 2025)

7. Italy (83.96% 2026, 84.34% 2025)

8. Hungary (77.36% 2026, 77.74% 2025)

The report does commend a number of countries for improvements in their GIPC IP Index scores:

“20 economies improved their overall score, with the United Arab Emirates (+4.72%), Ecuador (2.81%), Malaysia (+1.42%), and Brunei (+1.42%) achieving the largest increases in overall score. This demonstrates that targeted reforms can still strengthen IP frameworks, even amid broader global stagnation.”

However, much of the summary focuses on the impact of IP on the US:

“Trade continues to underpin American economic growth, with US services exports surplus contributing $1.4 trillion to the US economy. IP-intensive industries alone account for 31% of the total value of US services exports… The review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) creates a pivotal opportunity to address the outstanding implementation of Mexico’s IP commitments related to patent enforcement, patent term extension, regulatory data protection (RDP), and copyright protection. Likewise, Canada must fully implement the patent term adjustment mechanism required by USMCA.”

Of most interest to the IP valuation and IP-backed finance sectors, the summary points out that the IP Index 2026 highlights the growth in IP-finance, observing that initiatives designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) leverage IP assets have grown, indicating increased government recognition of IP’s critical role in SME development:

“The scores improved for seven economies due to new IP-focused SME initiatives, marking the second-largest improvement among all Index indicators. These economies across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East introduced new programs focused on technical assistance, financial support, and assistance in commercialising IP assets.”