Essays on the Global Patent System

This work develops the concept of procedural analysis to answer essential systemic questions of patenting at an international scale. Through a novel, public procedural metric, we characterize in-depth the World’s main patent examination services. By weighing how decisions are generated, rather than just their output, we challenge past perceptions on national bias, proving that patent offices do not discriminate foreign applicants. Despite strong qualitative differences in the stringency and thoroughness of patent offices, we also measure important degrees of substitution and convergence across patent systems, leading in particular areas to surprisingly high similarities in granted scopes.