Patent Citation Generation at the Triadic Offices: Mechanisms and Implications for Analysis

45 Pages Posted: 3 Feb 2022

See all articles by Kyle Higham

Kyle Higham

Motu Economic and Public Policy Research

Tohru Yoshioka-Kobayashi

Hitotsubashi University - Institute of Innovation Research

Date Written: February 1, 2022

Abstract

Patent citations have been used for over four decades as indicators of numerous aspects of technological progress, including knowledge flows, technological evolution, and patent impact. However, research on these topics often ignores the variable contexts in which examiners, applicants, and third parties generate these citations, and the meanings that we may infer as a result. While technological progress is becoming increasingly global in nature, differing citation practices at patent offices around the world often present a challenge to those aiming to study this progress in a comprehensive manner. To remedy this, we review the many mechanisms that give rise to citations in each of the triadic patent offices collectively responsible for generating the vast majority of readily available citation data, integrating literature from economics, management, and law to assess the biases inherent in these mechanisms. We discuss the ways in which the richness of citation data and metadata at the family level can be leveraged in empirical settings to reduce noise, improve interpretability, and access information that is impossible to uncover in data that is restricted to a single jurisdiction.

Keywords: Patent citations, patent families, triadic patents, patent analysis, innovation, invention

JEL Classification: O30, O32, O34

Suggested Citation

Higham, Kyle and Yoshioka, Tohru, Patent Citation Generation at the Triadic Offices: Mechanisms and Implications for Analysis (February 1, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4022851 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4022851

Kyle Higham (Contact Author)

Motu Economic and Public Policy Research ( email )

Level 1, 93 Cuba Street
P.O. Box 24390
Wellington, 6142
New Zealand

Tohru Yoshioka

Hitotsubashi University - Institute of Innovation Research ( email )

2-1 Naka, Kunitachi
Tokyo, 186-8603
Japan

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