IP Strategy and awareness in the UK

The UK Intellectual Property Office has invested a lot of effort into raising awareness among UK firms. The primary focus has been on micro, small and medium sized firms on the assumption that larger firms have a higher level of awareness.

A survey published in 2006 confirmed the assumption. IP awareness increased with the size of firm. The same research was repeated in 2010 and yielded similar results about awareness as well as marking an increase in the overall awareness in the intervening period.

This didn't surprise me. I have commented previously about the prevailing climate that promotes such awareness.

What really surprised me was the low level of firms with an IP strategy.
Even among the "large" firms (defined as having more than 250 employees) who have a high awareness, only 35% of firms surveyed in 2006 had a formal IP strategy. Despite the increasing awareness the survey found in 2010 that the number of large firms with an IP strategy had fallen to 22%.

 In some upcoming blog posts I will explore some strategic options available to innovative firms.