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The Value of European Patents

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Author Info
Gambardella, Alfonso
Harhoff, Dietmar
Verspagen, Bart

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Abstract

This paper employs data from an extensive European survey to produce one of the first systematic assessments of the private economic value of patents. The estimated mean of our patent value distribution is higher than 3 million Euros, the median is about one-tenth, and the mode is around a few thousand Euros. This is in line with previous findings about the skewed distribution of patent values. Our measure is significantly correlated with the number of patent citations, references, claims, and countries in which the patent is applied. Citations explain value as much as the other three indicators combined, and the right tail of citations is correlated with the right tail of our value measure. Yet, the four indicators only explain 2.7% of the variance of patent value. Thus, while the use of these indicators as proxies for value, particularly citations, may be justified, predictions based on these indicators carry significant noise. After using country, technology, and patent class fixed effects, we only explain 11.3% of the variation in patent value. The "measure of our ignorance" about patent value is still sizable, which calls for additional research to fill the gap.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 6848.

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Date of creation: Jun 2008
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:6848

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Related research
Keywords: intellectual property rights; patent citations; patent claims; patent references; patent value; patent value indicators; patents;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
O31 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
O32 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
O34 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Intellectual Property Rights

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Juan Alcácer & Michelle Gittelman, 2006. "Patent Citations as a Measure of Knowledge Flows: The Influence of Examiner Citations," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 88(4), pages 774-779, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Pakes, Ariel S, 1986. "Patents as Options: Some Estimates of the Value of Holding European Patent Stocks," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 54(4), pages 755-84, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Harhoff, Dietmar & Reitzig, Markus, 2004. "Determinants of opposition against EPO patent grants--the case of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 443-480, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Bronwyn H. Hall & Adam Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg, 2005. "Market Value and Patent Citations," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 36(1), pages 16-38, Spring.
  5. James Bessen, 2006. "Estimates of Firms' Patent Rents from Firm Market Value," Working Papers 0602, Research on Innovation. [Downloadable!]
  6. Giuri, Paola & Mariani, Myriam, 2007. "Inventors and invention processes in Europe: Results from the PatVal-EU survey," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 1105-1106, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. James Bessen, 2006. "The Value of U.S. Patents by Owner and Patent Characteristics," Working Papers 0603, Research on Innovation. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Ariel Pakes, 1986. "Patents as Options: Some Estimates of the Value of Holding European Patent Stocks," NBER Working Papers 1340, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Jean O. Lanjouw & Mark Schankerman, 2004. "Patent Quality and Research Productivity: Measuring Innovation with Multiple Indicators," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(495), pages 441-465, 04. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Harhoff, Dietmar & Hoisl, Karin & van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, Bruno, 2009. "Languages, Fees and the International Scope of Patenting," Discussion Papers in Business Administration 10456, University of Munich, Munich School of Management. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Gerald Carlino & Robert Hunt, 2009. "What explains the quantity and quality of local inventive activity?," Working Papers 09-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
  3. Alfonso Gambardella, 2008. "Of Intellectual Property, Open Source and Innovation: Trends, and Some Opportunities for Italy," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 98(2), pages 57-83, March-Apr. [Downloadable!]
  4. Schneider, Cédric & Hussinger, Katrin & Czarnitzki, Dirk, 2008. "Commercializing Academic Research: The Quality of Faculty Patenting," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-069, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Carolin Haeussler & Dietmar Harhoff & Elisabeth Müller, 2009. "To Be Financed or Not...- The Role of Patents for Venture Capital Financing," Discussion Papers 253, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Haeussler, Carolin & Harhoff, Dietmar & Mueller, Elisabeth, 2009. "To Be Financed or Not… - The Role of Patents for Venture Capital Financing," CEPR Discussion Papers 7115, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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