IP Outreach Research > IP Use and Awareness
Reference
| Title: | Utilização Da Propriedade Industrial - Um Estudo Sobre Inovação em Portugal |
| Author: | Manuel Mira Godinho, Tiago Santos Pereira, Vítor Corado Simões, Sandro F Mendonça and Vitorino Manuel dos Santos Sousa [CISEP] |
| Source: | Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial |
| Year: | 2003 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | IP Knowledge, IP Protection |
| Focus: | Commercialisation, Patents |
| Country/Territory: | Portugal |
| Objective: | To analyse the use/non-use of industrial property by enterprises and research institutions in Portugal, and to find out about their attitudes, behaviour and expectations towards patents, trademarks and designs. |
| Sample: | 724 Portugal-based enterprises and 27 Portugal-based research institutions |
| Methodology: | Postal questionnaires |
Main Findings
A majority of surveyed enterprises consider industrial property of low importance: 78% perceived designs as of low importance (the rest perceived them as either of medium or high importance), 73% found patents and utility models unimportant, and 54% considered trademarks of low importance.
Since 1990, 4.2% of enterprises have registered patents or utility models, and 9.6% plan to do so in the future; 17.7% have registered trademarks, and 22.5% plan to do so in the future; 2.6% have registered industrial designs, and 8.2% plan to do so in the future.
The most commonly cited obstacles to registering patents, utility models and designs were: “cost too high” (29.1%), “do not possess any protectable industrial property” (28.4%), and “do not have sufficient information about the industrial property system” (25.6%).
The most commonly cited obstacles to registering trademarks were: “sector characteristics and speed of innovation not conducive to registering trademarks” (33.3%), “cost too high” (30.1%), and “do not have sufficient information about the industrial property system” (29.8%).
39% reported being aware of the national industrial property office (INPI); the larger the business the more likely it was to know the INPI: 87% of businesses with 500+ employees were aware of the INPI. By contrast, two in three small businesses were unaware of the INPI. 81% have not used the INPI’s services and do not plan to use them either. Advisory and informational services were the most used INPI services.
52% of surveyed research institutions claimed to have active or pending patents. However, close to two thirds reported not having any industrial property strategy. Industrial property crated at these institutions is in most cases owned by the institution, rather than the researcher. Licensing revenues are shared between the institution and the researcher in over 90% of institutions. Except one institution, all surveyed research establishments reported knowing the INPI. Of those, 84% have used or plan to use its services.
[Date Added: Dec 5, 2008 ]