On the Origins of the Worldwide Surge in Patenting: An Industry Perspective on the R&D-Patent Relationship

Abstract

This paper 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 dataset that includes 5 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.

Keywords: appropriability, complexity, patent explosion, propensity to patent, research productivity, strategic patenting

JEL Classification: O30, O34, O38