Author: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

According to the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), SMEs represent 99 % of all companies in the EU. Being a key element of the European economy, in the last 8 years they have created almost 85 % of new jobs and, overall, two thirds of total private sector employment in the EU.

In Latin America, almost 9 out of 10 companies are classified as SMEs and microenterprises (in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay) and they play a key role in generating employment at the regional level (60 % of formal productive employment). However, they suffer from a particularly significant productivity gap: they account for only a quarter of the region's total production value.

Roberto Escarré, Director of the International Project Management Office (University of Alicante) and spokesperson for the Latin America IP SME Helpdesk, believes that these data "show that Latin American SMEs have great potential for growth and expansion and that protecting their IP rights can help them in this process".

Integrating IPR protection into a comprehensive business strategy is a significant first step, aimed at investing in asset registration, creating motivation and trust in the innovation and development areas, as well as a consequent productive cycle that can lead to a safe and effective expansion and commercialisation.

More information, such as:

·       But what is intellectual property?

·       You can safely display your creations in the market,

·       Protection in countries of Latin America,

you can find on the website of IP SME Helpdesk >>>

 Source: https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/