Innovative enterprises and the use of patents and other intellectual property rights

Intellectual property rights (IPR) are the link between innovation, inventions and other intellectual creations and the market. Innovative enterprises tend to make more use of intellectual property (IP) protection. Both enterprise size and economic sector play an important role in whether a firm chooses to protect its intellectual property. In Europe, there is no marked trend over time in the use of protection methods but rather a complex pattern of change in each country and for each method.