April 26 is the World Intellectual Property Day. Here's a related message from our colleagues at AmCham EU.
The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU) today joins Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in celebrating WorldIntellectual Property Day (World IP Day).
This year’s theme ‘Creativity: The Next Generation’, recognises the power of young innovators in driving innovation and creativity across the world. World IP Day continues to offer a unique opportunity each year to join with others around the world to discuss and demonstrate how IP contributes to the flourishing of all kinds of creative content including audiovisual, books, games, arts and products and services and to driving the technological innovation that helps to shape our world. ‘Intellectual property is a key driver of economic growth.
It’s what gives both companies, including SMEs, and individuals alike the incentive to take risks and invest time and resources in developing new products, technologies and solutions to the benefit of consumers’, said Hendrik Bourgeois, Chair, American Chamber of Commerce to the EU. He went on to add, ‘It also is a key element in attracting investment and creating new jobs in Europe. This is exactly what is needed in this current economic climate, and it all starts with IP protection’. Intellectual property is the cornerstone of the EU economy and a key pillar of the knowledge-based society.
Given that innovation is a key contributor to growth, it is more important than ever that the value of intellectual property is understood and protected. Weakening of IP protection levels would reduce incentives to innovate and invest and have a detrimental effect on jobs and competitiveness inEurope. Any such trends should be resisted. AmCham EU is committed to helping make Europe a creativity centre. That is why, we are especially delighted to have partnered this year with Junior Achievement Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Europe to award a young person with the AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award in recognition of an enterprise that has demonstrated an innovative business concept and strategy. Encouraging innovation and boosting creativity in the next generation is one important way of driving growth and investing in our future.
