For the first time, a new report from EUIPO provides an overview of influencers’ knowledge, views, and practices regarding IP rights.
The study is based on responses from 300 influencers, predominantly with a young audience. The report highlights their knowledge of IP, their work with commercial content, and their views on counterfeit products, pirated material, and the use of artificial intelligence.
Main findings from the report:
- Influencers who actively engage with their own IP rights typically have more established businesses. 55% have built their own brand, and 33% run an online shop. This is significantly higher compared to influencers without registered IP rights, where the figures are only 24% and 14%, respectively.
- The report indicates that influencers are relatively reluctant to address respect for IP rights in their content. 48% believe it has no impact on follower numbers, while 17% think it could have a negative effect.
- Despite this reluctance, almost all feel responsible for how their content affects their followers. They are aware of the health and safety risks that can be associated with promoting counterfeit products. Furthermore, the majority of influencers show high ethical awareness and actively avoid promoting counterfeits and pirated digital content.
- The report also shows that influencers are generally highly aware of the IP-related risks connected to the use of AI. A clear majority recognise that AI-generated outputs can conflict with existing IP rights.
- The study is at EU level and does not contain figures specifically for Denmark.
The full report is available on the EUIPO website.