US faculty patenting: Inside and outside the university

In a sample of 5811 patents with US faculty as inventors, 26% are assigned solely to firms rather than universities as dictated by US university employment policies and Bayh-Dole. We relate assignment to patent characteristics, university policy, and inventor field. Patents assigned to firms (whether established or start-ups with inventor as principal) are less basic than those assigned to universities suggesting firm assigned patents result from faculty consulting. Assignment to inventor-related start-ups is less likely the higher the share of revenue inventors receive from university-licensed patents. Firm assignment also varies by inventor field and whether the university is public or private.     

Patents and knowledge diffusion: The impact of machine translation

One of the main rationales for the existence of the patent system is to encourage knowledge diffusion through the full disclosure of the technical knowledge embodied in a patented invention. Yet, economists and legal scholars cast doubts on the validity of the disclosure theory. The empirical evidence on the actual benefits of the disclosure function remains limited. The present paper aims to expand our understanding of how information spreads via patent disclosure and exploits recent improvements in machine translation (MT) to identify the effect of broader access to patented knowledge. More specifically, the paper uses a unique natural experiment. In September 2013, Google launched a major upgrade to its Google Patents service and added patent applications from the China National Intellectual Property Agency (CNIPA) to its searchable patent database. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we show that the translation of the Chinese patents into English resulted in an increase in citations received from patents filed by US inventors compared to a suitable control group comprising patents that Google translated only in 2016. Our results suggest that improved access to patented knowledge fosters knowledge diffusion.     

Patent systems for encouraging innovation: Lessons from economic analysis

Economic theory views patents as policy instruments aimed at fostering innovation and diffusion. Three major implications are drawn regarding current policy debates. First, patents may not be the most effective means of protection for inventors to recover R&D investments when imitation is costly and first mover advantages are important. Second, patentability requirements, such as novelty or non-obviousness, should be sufficiently stringent to avoid the grant of patents for inventions with low social value that increase the social cost of the patent system. Third, the trade-off between the patent policy instruments of length and breadth could be used to provide sufficient incentives to develop inventions with high social value. Beyond these three implications, economic theory also pleads for a mechanism design approach: an optimal patent system could be based on a menu of different degrees of patent protection where stronger protection would involve higher fees, allowing self-selection by inventors.     

The role of inter-organizational relationships in the development of patents: A knowledge-based approach

This paper examines the role of various inter-organizational relationships in patent development, and how these relationships contribute to patent competitiveness. It takes the perspective of individual inventors and describes how they utilize external knowledge in the development of patents. Based on a case study of a European telecom operator, we found interaction with R&D consortia, suppliers and customers to support inventors in the development of new ideas for patents and in solving related problems. In terms of patent competitiveness, buyer-seller relationships were more valuable for an operator than R&D consortia relationships, as they reduced the market and technology uncertainty related to the patent.     

提前失效专利对专利价值的影响研究

探索提前失效专利对专利价值的影响,对推进我国专利质量工程建设和知识产权强国战略实施,具有重要的理论意义和现实意义。提前失效专利是指在专利有效保护期限内,应该有效但由于种种原因而提前终止效力的专利。基于IncoPat科技创新平台检索的、2002—2018年间中国全部发明授权专利数据3066400个检索结果,借助该平台人工智能技术植入价值度计算的应用模块,从四种主要专利申请人类型——产业、大学、科研院所和个人视角,分析了各类型申请人全部专利、有效专利、提前失效专利价值变化趋势。研究结果揭示了提前失效专利价值远远低于有效专利价值;失效率越高,价值度就越低;大学专利失效率最高等。下一步拟进一步探索专利提前失效的原因及应采取的防范措施,以全面提高专利价值和专利质量。     

专利质量表征及其有效性：中国机械工具类专利案例研究

在全球专利膨胀的大背景下,有效的早期专利评价指标是把握技术发展态势服务战略和技术管理的有力工具。本文以中国专利局1986-2005年间授权的机械工具领域发明专利为研究对象,以专利文献中早期可获得的经济或技术信息为基础构建出专利质量早期表征指标,选择专利维持时间作为专利质量的代理变量,建立生存分析模型,利用SPSS统计软件研究了这些早期指标表征专利质量的有效性。研究表明,该技术领域中权利要求项数的增加能够降低国内专利生存危险,专利说明书页数和发明人数的增加能够降低国外专利生存风险,对应专利组的平均专利质量也相对高。结果说明,权利要求项数、说明书页数、发明人数等早期文献指标能够不同程度地表征专利质量。本研究结果、思路及方法对探索和确定早期专利评价指标特别是适合中国专利数据的指标具有启发性,也为从广义虚拟经济的角度研究专利资产价值提供参考。     

Productivity gains from migration: Evidence from inventors

This paper studies the relationship between migration and the productivity of high-skilled workers, as captured by inventors of international patent applications. Using machine learning techniques to uniquely identify inventors across patents, we are able to track the migration patterns of nearly one million individual inventors across countries. Migrant inventors account for more than nine percent of inventors in our sample. The econometric analysis seeks to explain the recurring finding in the literature that migrant inventors are more productive than non-migrant inventors. We find evidence that migrant inventors become about twenty-three percent more productive after having migrated. The disambiguated inventor data are openly available.     

外围专利的测度方法及其应用研究

技术专利正从保护手段演变为竞争工具,导致外围专利的涌现和专利泡沫的泛起,给专利管理和科技评价带来新的困扰。面对海量的专利数据,如何有效测度外围专利是亟待研究的问题;通过分析外围专利的生成机制和基础数据,基于典型专利族的差异,研究提出定量测度外围专利的方法,构建外围专利测度指数;在此基础上,以苹果公司为研究样本,对外围专利进行定量测度和分析。     

Citations, family size, opposition and the value of patent rights

We combine estimates of the value of patent rights from a survey of patent-holders with a set of indicator variables in order to model the value of patents. Our results suggest that the number of references to the patent literature as well as the citations a patent receives are positively related to its value. References to the non-patent literature are informative about the value of pharmaceutical and chemical patents, but not in other technical fields. Patents which are upheld in opposition and annulment procedures and patents representing large international patent families are particularly valuable.     

Academic inventors as brokers

Academic inventors are university scientists who appear as designated inventors of patents owned either by business companies, academic institutions or individuals. We analyse their relationships with co-inventors, who may be either academic colleagues, students, or, very often, industrial researchers. Gould and Fernandez's (1989) taxonomy of ‘brokerage’ roles is adjusted to patent data, and complemented with information drawn from both academic inventors’ publications and replies to a short questionnaire. Only very few academic inventors are found to hold brokerage positions. Such inventors have a large number of patents, a strong publication record and a higher-than-average share of patents held by companies, rather than universities. Relationships of academic inventors with co-inventors from industry are weaker and less likely to be maintained than those with co-inventors from academia. Academic inventors in gatekeeping positions (between university and industry) maintain the strongest ties with all types of co-inventors.     

Foreign inventors in Europe and the United States: Diversity and Patent Quality

We explore the impact of migrant inventors on patent quality in Europe and the United States between 1990 and 2010. Drawing on a large sample of patent applications filed at the European Patent Office with a corresponding Patent Cooperation Treaty extension, we select inventor teams whose members reside in the countries of interest, but whose nationality may vary. In keeping with the literature, we find that migrant inventors are associated with higher quality patents via increased diversity at the team level, in addition to increased diversity at both the company and local level. This positive relationship with diversity persists after conditioning for the presence of migrants in the team, which is suggestive of cultural, and not merely functional, diversity.     

有机发光二极管OLED专利图表及分析

专利及专利图表是重要的信息资源,文中绘制了一些有机发光二极管OLED专利图表等,并分析了图表中信息和专利内容。     

专利拍卖成交率影响因素的实证研究：以中国技术交易所为例

 近年来,许多专利技术在我国以拍卖的方式得以交易。专利拍卖吸引了众多企业和个人的关注和兴趣,并日益成为专利技术市场的一种发展趋势。但是,目前我国研究专利拍卖及其成交率的文献还很少。以中国技术交易所2010年12月16日举办的第一届专利拍卖的89件专利为样本,通过双样本t检验比较拍卖成交专利和未成交专利的特征差异,并利用Logistic回归模型分析专利属性和拍卖方式等因素对专利拍卖成交率的影响。研究结果表明,专利拍卖的定价方式和专利属性中的发明人个数、专利类型、专利分类数对专利拍卖成交率有显著影响。     

基于专利分析的磁制冷技术应用研究

使用Pat Snap平台对全球范围内磁制冷技术相关专利进行检索,收集磁制冷技术应用领域专利数据并进行查全、查重处理后得到分析样本;对样本专利进行整体概览分析、专利权人及发明人分析、技术分析、价值分析,得到专利地图及专利高频关键词,剖析磁制冷技术应用领域的发展现状、技术重点布局领域、专利价值等情况,并预测其发展方向。     

我国个人专利维持之谜——市场摩擦的证据

专利市场是经济活动中效率最为低下的市场之一。一方面,专利属于无形资产,很难评判其价值。另一方面,由于信息不对称,市场参与双方（发明人和使用者）均面临很大的搜寻和交易成本。然而较少有文献实证记录这些市场摩擦所带来的后果。本文记录中国个人专利申请的一个特别现象：与企业专利相比,个人专利被广泛认为质量较差;然而另一方面,个人专利在授权后的维持时间却长于企业专利。本文认为专利市场摩擦可以一定程度上解释该现象：由于搜索成本和信息不对称,相对于企业来说,个人发明人需要更长时间才能将其专利许可或转让给可以商业化的公司。个人发明人往往需要这些转让收益来收回发明的投资成本,为此他们会努力寻求潜在的授予方,而不得不维持专利到更长的时间。 本文提供一些实证证据来支持这个假说。在专利质量比较过程中,本文基于中国国家知识产权局的数据库,整理并建立了中国专利申请的详细数据并构建了若干质量指标。同时,作者利用谷歌专利数据库补充了专利权利要求项数量和专利引证这两个指标,为中国专利质量分析、知识传递与溢出提供了重要的数据来源。     

Construction of a Japanese Patent Database and a first look at Japanese patenting activities

A new comprehensive patent database based on patent applications filed with the Japanese Patent Office is described. We present the methodology for the construction of this database, the IIP Patent Database, its basic features and we discuss the recent history of patenting in Japan. We also compare citing-cited patterns of Japanese patents in this database with the citing-cited patterns for the same patents registered in the US, using OECD patent family information to identify US counterparts. We found similar patterns in the two countries, although citation is provided by patent examiners in Japan, while in the US a large share of citations is made by inventors.     

校企发明专利维持时间影响因素比较研究

以江苏大学与3家企业为研究对象,综合运用描述性统计方法和回归分析方法,选取发明人个数、IPC分类号个数、权利要求数、同族专利数量、引证文献数量、被引文献数量、审查时间等专利指标,多角度量化研究专利维持时间。研究结果表明,校企发明专利维持时间的影响因素存在较大差异,各个因素对发明专利维持时间的影响程度在不同主体之间也呈现出较大差异性。     

技术转移办公室促进了高校技术转移吗？

该研究构建了基于专利生命周期的技术转让生存分析模型,利用116所211高校的专利转让微观数据拟合了技术转让可能性曲线。专利转让的可能性呈先增后减的趋势,在申请后第五年左右达到峰值。文章进一步探究了技术转移办公室在高校技术转让过程中的微观作用机制及其在不同情境中的异质作用效果。研究结果表明,技术转移办公室对高校的专利转让速度没有直接的促进作用,但技术转移办公室的存在强化了专利地域保护范围、发明人数量对于专利转让时间的负向影响,同时削弱了发明人团队以往专利转让经验对后续专利转让时间的影响。文章在微观层面上对高校技术转让行为模式研究进行了拓展,对进一步提升技术转移办公室的作用效果具有重要的理论参考价值。     

中国与瑞典专利技术合作研究

国际科技合作是促进国内技术创新的重要路径,而国际专利合作申请是国 际科技合作的重要体现。本文选择瑞典的优势产业技术领域,基于 1988年至2017 年瑞典、中国申请及合作申请的 PCT 专利和 EPO 专利,对专利申请及合作趋势 进行分析。剖析了我国企业与瑞典在专利技术创新方面的差距及在专利合作中存 在的问题,以期为我国企业更好地开展对瑞典科技与经济合作提供参考。尤其是 在中美经贸关系紧张背景下,探讨与关键性小国的合作对我国深化对外科技合作 战略、推动企业技术创新具有重要意义。     

全球控制井壁稳定的钻井液技术专利分析

通过检索德温特国际专利数据库,获得控制井壁稳定的钻井液技术专利5243件,分析发现：1998年至今是全球控制井壁稳定的钻井液技术的成长阶段;技术主题包括钻井液体系及处理剂类、设备类和方法类;关键技术主要由国际大型石油公司和技术服务公司掌握,国内三大石油公司的专利数量还较少。对此,建议我国要有针对性地开发符合国内现状的特色技术,加大自有技术的专利申请力度以尽快形成相应的专利保护网,通过学科交叉等手段超前研发下一代技术,抢占技术制高点。