On May 9, 2009 the COTEC 2009 report was represented. At the presentation some remarks were made, overall in positive terms, regarding some of the aspects of Spain 's situation in the patent industry. It highlighted, for example, that patents represent the only positive indicator of innovation output over the period analyzed.

To this extent, the Report includes detailed information and analysis on the patent system in Spain and its relationship with the innovation system.

The total number of patent applications with consequences in Spain has increased 51% from 2000 until 2007 (inclusive). These applications include those presented directly by national procedures at the SPTO (1.5% in 2007); those presented at the European Patent Office (EPO) which are designated to Spain (27.6% in 2007) and PCT applications designated to Spain (70.9% in 2007).

The total number of patents granted with consequences in Spain has increased 64% since 2000. This figure includes national patents granted by the SPTO (12.2% in 2007), as well as European patent validations (87.8% in 2007).

Between 2000 and 2007 the increase in international patent applications (PCT) originating in Spain was 150% and the increase in European patent applications originating in Spain was 147.6%.

The area of Triadic Patents is also covered. Triadic patents are defined as a set of patents applied for at the EPO and the Japanese Office (JPO) and granted by the Office of the United States (USPTO) which protects the same invention. They're used by the OECD as an indicator for measuring and comparing countries' results in the area of innovation and its international expansion.

Triadic patents registered in 2006 by companies and Spanish research centers represent a low percentage based on total triadic patents from the UE-27 (1.60%), and the total of countries making up the OECD (0.47%); however this percentage is improving year by year.

Spain 's position corresponds to its efforts made in the area of R&D in the correlation (chart 58) between the triadic patent ratio per million of inhabitants and R&D costs in percentage of GDP.

Another positive note is that Spain experienced an increase of more than 100% between 1995 and 2005 in the number of triadic patents per million of inhabitants.

In terms of analysis by emerging technologies between 1995 and 2005, there appears to be an overall stabilization of the total number of European patent applications pertaining to the ICT industry and a decrease in those related to biotechnology. Nevertheless, the number of European ICT and biotechnology patent applications with Spanish origin has considerably increased during this period.

Lastly, COTEC performs a yearly consultation among a panel of experts which includes a questionnaire, where they point out 24 possible problems with the Spanish innovation system and evaluate their importance.

The experts' opinions reflect that the most important problem is the “deficiency of financial and human resources,” while the least important is “the inadaptability of the patent system and the legal protection of research results.”