Royalties, evolving patent rights, and the value of innovation

The value of an innovation to the innovator can change over time, especially in response to changes in the legal protection (such as patent rights) afforded the innovator. A proven-valid-and-infringed patent is a more valuable economic commodity than is an untested patent. The increase in value can be estimated using the success rate of patent lawsuits. Using a database of the outcomes of U.S. patent litigation, we find that plaintiffs win patent litigation some 45% of the time at the trial court level. This has implications both for patent damages awards and for the incentives to innovate.     

Behind the recent surge of Chinese patenting: An institutional view

This paper examines a number of forces that have possibly contributed to the explosive growth of Chinese patenting over the past decade. After a review of previous hypotheses and conventional wisdom, this study proposes an additional explanation and argues that patent subsidy programs implemented by each provincial region have played an important role in the growth of Chinese patenting. This institutional change, taking place at the province-level, has induced an increase in patent propensity among not only firms, universities, and research institutes, but also individuals. Empirical evidence based on publicly available data provides solid support for this argument. It was also found that a larger fraction of applications are granted patent rights since the implementation of such programs, suggesting that reduction in patent application quality may not be a serious concern, unless the criteria used for patent examination have been lowered.     

神圣与世俗交织——《真诰》小说解析

《真诰》是道教上清派重要经典,记载有不少学道求仙的故事,这些故事大多想象丰富,而且具有人物、情节和主题等小说的要素,运用了多种表现手法,体现出神圣与世俗相交织的特点。     

Light emitting diodes and the lighting revolution: The emergence of a solid-state lighting industry

Emergence of new industries from evolving technologies is critical to the global economy, yet has been relatively understudied due to the paucity of available data. This study draws lessons on industry emergence, by analyzing how a solid-state lighting (SSL) industry grew out of light emitting diode (LED) technologies that evolved for half a century, with participation by tens of thousands of researchers in universities, national laboratories, and firms. Using data on publications, patents, and firms combined with business history we trace the evolution of SSL through a succession of market niches. At times a few researchers with unorthodox research approaches made breakthroughs that greatly advanced particular technology trajectories and pushed LED research in unexpected directions. A succession of LED market niches advanced the technology and provided profits to incentivize continuing research while reducing cost and improving efficacy of LEDs. Innovating firms developed a thicket of patents and captured substantial profit, but were embroiled in extensive litigation that was ultimately resolved through cross-licensing. A major new generation of lighting products is now disrupting the traditional lighting industry. Although the leading incumbent lighting firms all invested early and heavily in SSL, the industry's future leadership is uncertain.     

Government support for SME innovations in the regional industries: The case of government financial support program in South Korea

This study explores the impact of governmental support policies on the innovation of SMEs in the regional strategic industries in South Korea. We use the technological development assistance funds as a proxy for governmental support policies for SMEs in the regional industries in Korea. The innovation of SMEs is measured by technological innovation: patent, utility model, trademark, and new design registrations. Before empirically testing the impact of governmental support policies on the innovation of SMEs, this study reviews the literature concerning the innovation and the governmental support policies of SMEs in regional industries. Results from empirical models, which simultaneously control for factors which were thought to affect the innovation of regional SMEs, indicate that a positive relationship exists among the technological development assistance by the Korean government and patent acquisitions and new design registrations of regional SMEs. Networks with universities also have a positive relationship with patent acquisitions and new design registrations of regional SMEs. This study suggests there is an importance to governmental financial aids for regional SME innovations, and there is an importance to the need to build a strong social relationship in today's networked economy.     

专利审查高速路影响后续申请局专利积压的机理研究

结合当前世界范围内专利审查高速路的现状,分别从两个方面具体探究了专利审查高速路是如何缓解或加重后续申请局专利积压的,认为专利审查高速路尽管有助于减少针对每项后续申请的重复检索与审查工作,但若处理不当不仅不会缓解反而有可能加重后续申请局的专利积压。     

基于ESI科学家计量方法的重新评估

以ESI排名前5位的经济学家为统计对象,通过选择六种作者贡献率分配算法,对5位经济学家论文总数、总被引频次排名和篇均被引频次三个指标进行了重新评价。研究结果表明：从总被引频次来看,除了Harmonic counting和FLAE排名一致外,其他几种算法的排名完全不同,而且排名的差异非常大。从篇均被引频次来说,六种计量方法排序结果完全一致。     

基于专利法与竞争法交叉视角下的制药产业专利常青策略

原研药企对原始专利修改并策略性提交专利申请的专利常青行为日益引起关注,这种对专利权滥用的行为究竟应通过专利法的内在矫正实现自我完善,还是通过竞争法的外在介入予以规制在各国有不同看法。本文对印度、美国、欧盟及加拿大规制专利常青行为予以介绍,得出结论,即应在我国还未明显出现专利常青现象时就采取预防措施,考虑制药产业收回研发成本和关乎公共卫生的属性而采取宽严适度的药品可专利性标准,并审慎将竞争法用于专利常青。     

Sailing in all winds: Technological search over the business cycle

Business cycles modify firms’ incentives to innovate and the direction of innovation. By introducing a new measure of patent unconventionality this paper explores the impact of the business cycle on firms’ technological search strategies. We find that during upturns firms generate inventions characterized by a higher level of technological unconventionality. We also find that financially resilient and diversified firms produce more unconventional patents. While patent unconventionality is associated with technological impact and market value, firms extract more value by investing in unconventional inventions in downturns.     

中国在国际科技合作网络中的角色和地位演变——基于2000-2015年国际专利合作数据的实证研究

为了分析中国在国际科技合作网络中的角色和地位变化,文章以世界40个国家2001—2015年的国际专利合作数据为分析对象,并运用社会网络分析方法进行了分析。分析结果表明,过去十五年间,中国在国际科技合作网络中的地位和角色发生了显著变化。中国的合作对象从欧美向亚洲扩展,合作格局由“中-欧美日”向“中-欧美亚”转变;合作网络中,美、英、日、法、德等始终处于中心位置,土耳其、冰岛、韩国等始终位于边缘位置;个体网络规模持续扩大,网络连接数继续增加,核心“朋友圈”遍布网络;中国的核心度排名逐渐上升,且处于结构洞的关键位置,掌握资源和连接资源的能力逐步增强。