Abstract :
The article deals with comparative legal characteristics of the most common approaches to the interpretation of the «innovation» essence. There was revealed «contact points» in the vision of this category. There was determined some basic factors affecting the formation of innovation as a market relations product. There was identified the most important economic characteristics that differ innovation from spontaneous and indirect social and economic changes. There was done the estimation of the modern condition of enterprises readiness for innovative activity on the basis of the analysis of implemented technical, organizational and marketing innovations. There was asked to assess readiness for innovation activities in three areas: the willingness of labor resources, management system and capital resources.
