Patent Examiner Specialization
38 Pages Posted: 11 Apr 2017 Last revised: 30 Sep 2017
There are 2 versions of this paper
Patent Examiner Specialization
Patent Examiner Specialization
Date Written: September 27, 2017
Abstract
We study the matching of patent applications to examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Using test statistics originally developed to identify industry agglomeration, we find strong evidence that examiners specialize in particular technologies, even within relatively homogeneous art units. Examiner specialization is more pronounced in the biotechnology and chemistry fields, and less in computers and software. Evidence of specialization becomes weaker, but does not completely disappear, if we condition on technology sub-classes. There is no evidence that certain examiners specialize in applications that have greater importance or broader claims. More specialized examiners have a lower grant rate and produce a larger narrowing of claim-scope during the examination process. We discuss implications for instrumental variables based on examiner characteristics.
Keywords: Patent, specialization, examination, agglomeration
JEL Classification: O34, O38, K11
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation