The purpose of the article is to study the government policy of intellectual property protection as a tool to stimulate the innovative development of the national economy. Research methodology. The achievement of the purpose set in the article is carried out with the help of comparative analysis of the level of intellectual property protection of Ukraine and foreign countries; a retrospective analysis of the Intellectual Property Index of Ukraine. Findings. The article describes the meaning and the main characteristics of the concepts of "intellectual property", "intellectual property rights" and "state policy for the protection of intellectual property". The main tools for the protection of intellectual property are defined: patents, trademarks, trade secrets, author’s law and related rights. The research of modern trends in the protection of intellectual property in the world economy is carried out. Based on the analysis of Ukraine's place in the IP index (research by The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center) and the IPRI index (Property Rights Alliance research), key gaps in state support for intellectual property protection in Ukraine were identified. Practical value. The results of clustering of the countries across the world according to IP and IPRI indices allowed to outline alternative options for improving the effectiveness of state support for Ukraine in the direction of harmonization of national legislation and procedures for the protection of intellectual property. The need for government support has been determined areas: for the provision of legal and technical assistance to owners of intellectual property rights; creating a favorable environment for the transfer of technologies in the host states; facilitating the resolution of private disputes regarding intellectual property; the development of information technologies for the storage, access and use of valuable information about intellectual property; regulation of effective mechanisms of public administration of the process of implementation of inventions; adoption the European experience in stimulating small and medium-sized enterprises that are innovators The proposed measures will help strengthen government support for the protection of intellectual property in Ukraine, improving the ability of innovators and inventors to protect their innovations.