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53 Pages Posted: 13 Jul 2013
Date Written: July 12, 2013
Abstract
As debates about the patent system have spread beyond the legal community into the public square, there has been an increase in mainstream media coverage of patent issues, including PR content generated by patent holders. However, we know very little about the subject matter of this media content and even less about its potential effects on public opinion and patent policy. This study begins to fill these gaps by building and analyzing a data set of patent-focused press releases generated by patent holders, or their licensees, and cataloging the subject matter contained therein. It offers a taxonomy of patent-focused PR content and calculates the relative proportions of patent PR relating to the top-level categories of Prosecution; Litigation; Transaction; Post-Grant Procedure; Honors/Accolades; Patented or Patent-Pending Product; ANDA Patent Challenge; and Miscellaneous. Within the top-level categories, this study calculates the relative proportion of second-level subject matter categories. In the Prosecution category, for example, this study calculates the proportion of press releases involving the categories of Patent Granted; Notice of Allowance; Application Filed; Application Pending; Application Accelerated; Response to Office Action Filed; Application Withdrawn from Issue; and Interference Declared. The Litigation category includes, inter alia, the categories of Settlement; Lawsuit Filed; Court Order or Ruling; Verdict; Comment; and Appealed. The study also analyzes patent PR by industry to determine which industries or technology fields generate the most patent-focused PR content and which subject matter areas are favored by particular industries. The data presented in this study enable us to determine which patent matters technology firms believe are important to highlight and provide a baseline for subsequent inquiries into how patent PR may affect policy and public opinion of patents and patentees.
Keywords: patent, media, content, PR, press release, firm, policy, public opinion, empirical
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