The Constitution protects private ownership. Spanish law establishes clear rights to private ownership. Competitive equality exists between public and private firms with respect to local access to markets, credit, licenses, and supplies. Foreign firms have participated in the privatization process on equal footing with Spanish buyers. Protection of Property Rights Spanish law protects property rights.
Enforcement is carried out at the administrative and judicial level.
Any decision pertaining to a property right by the Administration can be appealed first at the administrative level, and then at the judicial level, which has three levels of court appeals. Property protection is effective in Spain, although the system is slow. Certain property rights, because of their complexity, are more difficult to protect than others, i.e. intellectual property rights. Now, pirated video cassettes are only 25 percent of the market compared to 85 percent five years ago. Overall, Spain's illegal market for videos, records, and tapes has declined sharply.