Better regulation, SMEs and intellectual property: there is work to be done!

On 13 March 2018, EUCOPE co-organised with Comitology.eu a breakfast discussion on “Future proofing EU policies for SMEs –  a Case Study on Intellectual Property Rights”.

Attended by over 30 commercial and institutional stakeholders as well as press and academia, the breakfast discussion touched upon the impact of SMEs on the actual EU decision and policy-making with a focus on Intellectual Property (IP) Rights.

View the highlights of the breakfast discussion by following this link: https://youtu.be/mCPT1TgXG1o

Our key message:

Introducing an SPC manufacturing waiver will undermine the solid IPR framework SMEs and start-ups rely on to continue investing in innovation. Despite the consultation process and the SME test, SMEs are insufficiently involved in the decision-making process and the impact of a potential reform for SMEs has not been sufficiently assessed. The overly speedy and incoherent process indicates that more work is needed to make ‘Better Regulation’ a reality and not simply a dream.