8158.0 - Innovation in Australian Business, 2014-15 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/07/2016   
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INNOVATION-ACTIVE BUSINESSES AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION METHODS


The BCS collected information from all businesses about the methods that were in use to protect their intellectual property during the year ended 30 June 2015. Businesses were not asked to report the number of times each of the methods was used. The focus in this release is on innovation-active businesses and the types of intellectual property protection methods they reported. The complete data for all businesses will be released in August as part of Selected Characteristics of Australian Business, 2014-15 (cat. no. 8167.0).

Innovation-active businesses: Intellectual property protection methods, by employment size(a)(b), 2014-15
0-4 persons
5-19 persons
20-199 persons
200 or more persons
Total
%
%
%
%
%
Patents
1.2
4.6
5.0
17.2
3.1
Registration of design
2.2
4.1
5.7
15.6
3.4
Copyright or trademark
10.5
14.8
24.0
48.6
13.9
Secrecy/confidentiality agreements(c)
9.0
15.0
25.7
38.7
13.3
Complexity of product design
3.2
4.9
4.5
9.9
4.1
Any intellectual property protection methods used
21.0
30.3
43.2
67.0
27.3
(a) Proportions are of innovation-active businesses in each output category.
(b) Businesses could identify more than one type of intellectual property protection method.
(c) Secrecy includes electronic protection methods.


Overall, just over a quarter of innovation-active businesses reported the use of intellectual property protection methods (27%) during the year ended 30 June 2015. The two most common intellectual property protection methods used were copyright or trademark (14%) and secrecy/confidentiality agreement (13%). The proportion of innovation-active businesses that used any intellectual property protection methods during the reference period increased with each successive employment size range.

The proportion of innovation-active businesses with 200 or more persons employed that had any intellectual property protection methods in place (67%) was more than three times that of innovation-active businesses with 0-4 persons employed (21%).

By industry, the use of any intellectual property protection methods ranged from 5% of innovation-active businesses in Agriculture, forestry and fishing to 50% of innovation-active businesses in Information media and telecommunications.

Further data relating to intellectual property protection methods can be accessed via the Downloads tab.