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On the origins of the worldwide surge in patenting: an industry perspective on the R&D–patent relationship

Author

Listed:
  • Jérôme Danguy
  • Gaetan de Rassenfosse
  • Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie

Abstract

This article decomposes the R&D–patent relationship at the industry level to shed light on the sources of the worldwide surge in patent applications. The empirical analysis is based on a unique data set that includes five patent indicators computed for 18 industries in 19 countries covering the period from 1987 to 2005. The analysis shows that variations in patent applications reflect not only variations in research productivity but also variations in the appropriability and filing strategies adopted by firms. The results also suggest that the patent explosion observed in several patent offices can be attributed to the greater globalization of intellectual property rights rather than to a surge in research productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Jérôme Danguy & Gaetan de Rassenfosse & Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, 2014. "On the origins of the worldwide surge in patenting: an industry perspective on the R&D–patent relationship," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 23(2), pages 535-572.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:indcch:v:23:y:2014:i:2:p:535-572.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/icc/dtt042
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    Cited by:

    1. repec:old:wpaper:363 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Minford, Lucy & Meenagh, David, 2019. "Testing a model of UK growth: A role for R&D subsidies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 152-167.
    3. Bottai, Carlo & de Rassenfosse, Gaétan & Raiteri, Emilio, 2025. "A new approach to measuring invention commercialization: An application to the SBIR program," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(9).
    4. Dorner, Matthias & Harhoff, Dietmar, 2018. "A novel technology-industry concordance table based on linked inventor-establishment data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 768-781.
    5. Pellegrino, Gabriele & Penner, Orion & Piguet, Etienne & de Rassenfosse, Gaétan, 2023. "Productivity gains from migration: Evidence from inventors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(1).
    6. Böhringer, Christoph & Cuntz, Alexander & Harhoff, Dietmar & Asane-Otoo, Emmanuel, 2017. "The impact of the German feed-in tariff scheme on innovation: Evidence based on patent filings in renewable energy technologies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 545-553.
    7. Michael A. Verba, 2022. "Growth and innovation in the presence of knowledge and R&D accumulation dynamics," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(6), pages 485-510, August.
    8. Gold, E. Richard, 2021. "The fall of the innovation empire and its possible rise through open science," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(5).
    9. Adam B. Jaffe & Gaétan de Rassenfosse, 2017. "Patent citation data in social science research: Overview and best practices," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(6), pages 1360-1374, June.
    10. Esfandiar Maasoumi & Almas Heshmati & Inhee Lee, 2021. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Green innovations and patenting renewable energy technologies," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 513-538, January.
    11. repec:iab:iabfme:201707(en is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Di Fan & Long Zhao, 2023. "The role of business locations in international patenting," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 43-69, June.
    13. Jérôme Danguy, 2017. "Globalization of innovation production: A patent-based industry analysis," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 44(1), pages 75-94.
    14. Christian Bessy, 2019. "The transformations of conventions for patent use and the role of legal intermediaries," Working Papers halshs-01872163, HAL.
    15. Park, Jinho & Choi, Byungchul & Huang, Wei, 2023. "Innovation under debtor-friendly institutional policy: Strategic patenting perspective of Chinese listed firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    16. Hingley, Peter & Park, Walter G., 2017. "Do business cycles affect patenting? Evidence from European Patent Office filings," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 76-86.
    17. Exadaktylos, Dimitrios & Ghodsi, Mahdi & Rungi, Armando, 2024. "What do firms gain from patenting? The case of the global ICT industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    18. Choi, Donghyuk & Kim, Yeonbae, 2018. "Market share and firms’ patent exploitation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 72, pages 13-23.
    19. Erik E. Lehmann & Matthias Menter, 2016. "University–industry collaboration and regional wealth," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(6), pages 1284-1307, December.
    20. Zhu, Zhijing & Li, Haiyang, 2025. "Technological catch-up: A new measure and patent-based evidence from China's manufacturing industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(8).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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