Published
March 13, 2026
The 2026 U.S. Chamber International IP Index sends a clear message: the global race for innovation and creativity is shifting—and not always for the better. While intellectual property (IP) remains the backbone of modern, knowledge-based economies, some of the world’s traditional leaders are quietly weakening the very frameworks that made them competitive.
This year’s Index assesses 55 economies using 53 indicators indicative of robust IP systems. Together, these economies represent more than 90% of global GDP, meaning the trends identified in the IP Index matter for businesses, creators, and policymakers everywhere.
The 2026 IP Index reveals several of the world’s most advanced economies are weakening their IP frameworks. Eight EU member states saw score declines, driven largely by policies that weaken the framework for IP protection and enforcement, discouraging investment at a time when Europe seeks to position itself as a global hub for life sciences.
Similar headwinds emerged in the United States, where new drug pricing policies and expansive interpretations of “march‑in” rights risk undermining America’s world‑leading biomedical innovation ecosystem. This shift to undermine IP among economies traditionally seen as global IP standard-setters risks normalizing a weakening of IP rights globally, creating a renewed urgency for policymakers to act to preserve strong IP rights.
At the same time, a different story is unfolding in a group of emerging and middle‑income economies. In 2026, the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Malaysia, and Brunei had the greatest overall increases in score. These gains are not accidental: they reflect deliberate reforms to modernize IP laws, strengthen enforcement, and join key international agreements.
Effective IP systems also underpin trusted trade relationships, giving businesses the confidence to reach new markets and partner across borders while also driving economic growth and competitiveness. Today, IP‑intensive sectors account for 31% of U.S. services exports and support a US $1.4 trillion surplus in services trade, underscoring how deeply innovation and creativity are embedded in cross‑border commerce.
Many of America’s trading partners have still not fully implemented IP commitments made in landmark agreements such as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or the U.S.–China Phase One Agreement. The result is a widening gap between the promise of high IP standards on paper and the day‑to‑day reality faced by businesses that depend on strong, predictable IP protection to trade and invest.
Economies that treat IP as a strategic asset—and back that up with coherent policy and—are positioning themselves to lead in the next wave of innovation and creativity. Those that weaken IP risk eroding their own innovation ecosystems, undermining trusted trade relationships, and ultimately sacrificing long‑term competitiveness and growth.
Read the 2026 IP Index:
About the author
Kelly Anderson
Kelly Anderson serves as vice president of international policy at the U.S. Chamber’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC). Anderson oversees the GIPC’s global advocacy efforts and leads the GIPC’s policy engagement in the multilateral organizations and developed economies.
