Intellectual property infringement is a major threat to EU SMEs

A joint report issued by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) through the European Observatory on Intellectual Property Infringement and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stated that infringement of intellectual property rights is a major risk to the profitability and survival of small and medium-sized enterprises. The "Risks of Illicit Trade in Counterfeit Products to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises" report released on Tuesday, January 31, also showed that small and medium-sized enterprises whose intellectual property rights have been infringed are 34% less likely to survive after five years.

The report states that counterfeit goods from China are by far the most common source of counterfeit goods that infringe intellectual property rights faced by EU SMEs, accounting for 85% of global online sales-related seizures and 51% of offline sales-related seizures. The most commonly targeted counterfeit products are electrical and electronic products (30% of seizures), clothing (18%), perfumes and cosmetics (10%), and toys and games (10%).

Looking at usage patterns, about half of the counterfeit products seized at EU borders that infringe the intellectual property rights of SMEs were purchased online.

To support SMEs, EUIPO, in cooperation with the European Commission and EU national and regional intellectual property offices, has launched a series of initiatives in the field of intellectual property, including the launch of the SME Fund. The fund is currently in its third year of operation. The SME Fund provides financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises to register intellectual property rights. The 2023 "SME Fund 2023" was launched on January 23.

[Page code: For Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises, the greater their steps overseas, the more they need to consider the intellectual property protection of their own products. Small and medium-sized enterprises have their own patent rights, trademark rights and other rights. On the one hand, It is an effective means of resisting being deemed infringing by others; on the other hand, it can also calmly fight back. 】