The Netherlands is a leading country in Intellectual Property according to the Global Intellectual Property Index 2015 (GIPI) in which 43 important jurisdictions worldwide have been compared regarding the quality of the prosecution of Patents, Trademarks, Designs, Copyright and other forms of Intellectual Property.
From the Global Intellectual Property Index report:
Patents (The Netherlands 3rd place)
The Netherlands ranks very highly for patent enforcement and challenge and is second only to the UK for patent exploitation. This is no surprise, because alongside the UK and Germany, The Netherlands has for a long time been regarded as a heavyweight jurisdiction in this area of Intellectual Property. Its specialist judges are highly valued, it is very cost effective and its practitioners are very experienced.
Trademarks (The Netherlands 2nd place)
Obtaining a Benelux trademark can be done online, is fast and relatively cheap. But the Benelux IP office is known for its strict examination on absolute grounds for refusal. The Netherlands lost even more points for the enforcement of unregistered trademarks. Such enforcement is still very rare and available only to the most famous brands.
Designs (The Netherlands 2nd place)
The Netherlands, together with Germany, ranks highly in the field of Design Protection, in particular for obtaining the design rights and cost-effectiveness. The Dutch courts have further been known to adopt a low threshold for functional designs qualifying for copyright protection.
Copyright (The Netherlands 1st place)
The Netherlands scores well for enforcement of copyright and cost-effectiveness. It scores well for its speed of procedures, consistency of decisions, the strength of court remedies and the competence, reputation and specialisation of judges. Its new Copyright Contract Act came into effect on July 1, 2015, and it strengthens the position of authors, in particular regarding 'best sellers', to claim fair compensation.
Source:
Global Intellectual Property Index - 5th report (TaylorWessing)