It is vital that the EU counteract SME-hostile IP practices. In our latest submission to the DG Trade Targeted Consultation on the State of IP in Third Countries, the Association for Competitive Technology flags critical barriers impacting tech SMEs. ▪️ China: Security rules are pushing European tech companies to hand over their source code just to access the market. Foreign companies are also locked out of shaping the standards they are later required to follow. ▪️ Brazil: Patent lawsuits have exploded (from six cases in 2024 to 31 in 2025), with courts fast-tracking injunctions that can freeze a smaller company’s product out of the market before the underlying dispute is even resolved. ▪️ India: Significant uncertainty remains regarding the relationship between patent and competition law in SEP disputes under Indian law. Further, the country has still not implemented its obligations under the WIPO Copyright Treaty. We are asking the EU to push back on these practices and to finally put its own rulebook in place so it has credibility to do so.