In 2012, researchers from the UK explored the usage of the patent system in the UK and the US. They found that only 1.6% of businesses in the UK had filed a patent between the years 1986 – 2006. High-Tech manufacturing led in the use of patents, but only 10% of companies had filed a patent during the same period. In the US, only 5.5% of firms have filed a patent, with wide variances in usage between industries.
