Announcing the Release of the 2017 U.S. Chamber International IP Index, “The Roots of Innovation”
Today, we’re excited to welcome the fifth edition of the U.S. Chamber International IP Index, “The Roots of Innovation.” This year’s index recognizes the indispensable role of intellectual property (IP) in facilitating innovative and creative activity on a socially transformative scale.
Each economy in the Index presents a unique IP profile. As the Index has grown from 11 economies in its first edition to 45 in the current publication, it has become exceedingly clear that just as elections matter, so do IP policy choices. These choices are not simply a matter of East versus West, developed versus less-developed, or rich versus poor. Rather, the Index represents a broad spectrum of sovereign policy choices. Those choices have important consequences for each economy’s innovative and creative success, and for the collective welfare of all the world’s citizens.
In many ways, 2016 was a challenging year for global IP policy. New data revealed that the problem of global counterfeiting has more than doubled since 2008, amounting to $461 billion annually. Countries all around the globe – from the most established markets to fledgling new governments – grappled with the question of whether to move forward, innovating and evolving in a new era of globalization.
Nevertheless, the record of five editions of the Index clearly shows that countries of every region, size, and income level are increasingly investing in IP infrastructure as a tool for development, a stimulus for jobs and economic growth, and a catalyst for domestic innovation and creativity.
The roots are well-established – let seven billion flowers of innovation and creativity bloom.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Hirschmann is president and CEO ofhe U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property Center.
