Corporations with intellectual property (IP) recorded an average revenue per employee that is 20.9% higher than those without.
The Korea Institute of Intellectual Property and the Korea Development Institute (KDI) published a report on the 21st titled 'Analysis of corporate revenue performance based on intellectual property rights.' This report is based on research commissioned by the National Intellectual Property Commission, which is led by the president, and the Korean Intellectual Property Office. It analyzed the big data of operational information from 228,617 domestic corporations from 2010 to 2023 to assess the impact of intellectual property rights on corporate revenue.
According to the report, corporations holding intellectual property rights such as patents, trademarks, and designs had higher revenues. Corporations that held only one type of intellectual property reported 18.9% higher revenue per employee, those with two types had 27.1%, and those with all three types had 32.7% more. On average, they had 20.9% higher revenue than corporations without intellectual property rights.
The scope of intellectual property rights also influenced revenue. Corporations holding only one intellectual property right had 15.4% higher revenue per employee compared to those without any. In contrast, those holding between 2 and 19 rights reported 24.1% higher, and those with over 100 rights had 50.3% higher revenue. The report explained that 'the quantitative expansion of intellectual property rights significantly contributes to corporate growth.' It also noted that corporations that filed overseas applications had 27.3% higher revenue than those without.
Lee Kwang-hyung, the private sector chairman of the National Intellectual Property Commission, said, 'This study proves that intellectual property rights are not merely protective mechanisms but core elements that influence corporate performance,' and added that the commission will actively discover and promote support policies to help corporations expand their intellectual property rights in collaboration with relevant ministries.
Korean Intellectual Property Office Commissioner Kim Wan-ki also noted, 'It has been reaffirmed that intellectual property is a key asset driving corporate growth,' and stated, 'In the future, we will expand practical policies such as support for overseas application expenses and tailored consulting to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises can effectively secure rights in the global market.'