New WIPO Survey Reveals World-Wide Perceptions and Understanding of Intellectual Property

Two-thirds of participants in a new WIPO global survey have a positive view of the role of intellectual property (IP) in their countries' development, but there is still a lack of knowledge about IP among young people, a new WIPO Pulse survey of people's attitudes towards IP shows.

For reference:
WIPO Pulse is the first international survey on the understanding and perception of IP. The results provide a range of unique insights based on the responses of 25,000 respondents from 50 countries and are designed to complement WIPO's survey on innovation processes, branding and the performance of the creative sector, as well as IP statistics.

«For decades, WIPO has served as a reliable source of information and analysis on the technical aspects of IP, but we have overlooked the 'human' dimension, which is becoming increasingly important as we seek to bring IP to ordinary people and connect it to those who invent and create on the ground,» WIPO Director General Daren Tang said at the launch of the survey report.

In particular, the study found that 66.4 % of respondents in all regions recognized the positive impact of IP on the economy.

Based on an assessment of respondents' level of knowledge of IP, the survey notes that copyright is the most commonly known IP right, followed by trademarks, geographical indications, patents and industrial designs.

The leader in terms of familiarity with IP rights is copyright, with 64% in Eastern Europe, while the most modest result is for industrial designs: 18% in Asia-Pacific countries.

Compared to the general population, people aged between 18 and 24 lag far behind in understanding all types of IP rights. And while copyright and geographical indications are known by almost one-third (32% and 27% respectively), just 2 in 10 people know about inventions (18%) and industrial designs (19%).

«Through creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, young people are triggering change and laying the foundations for a better future, but a poor understanding of IP risks is preventing them from reaching their full potential. It is imperative that we step up our efforts to raise IP awareness among young inventors, creators and entrepreneurs and support them by developing the necessary skills and competencies to turn their visions into reality,» said WIPO Director General Daren Tang.

Based on WIPO materials

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Photo: wipo.int/