study - European firms failing to protect innovations

According to a recent study, European firms do not take any measures to protect their innovations with patents and trademarks.

Among the findings of the survey are that:

• a vast majority of innovative firms have not applied for patents or registered a trademark to protect their invention.
• only a minority of managers find that national regulations in product or process innovations obstruct their firms' competitiveness.
• half of the managers find that the most useful public initiatives for innovation are those "supporting collaboration" and "training for innovation".
• the "successful, innovative" firms are more inclined to hire new university graduates, to train their staff and to participate in innovation networks. They are also more aware of government efforts to subsidise innovation.