Decentralising the Patent System

Gaétan de Rassenfosse and Kyle Higham

Working Papers from Chair of Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy

Abstract: Modern patent systems are slow, inefficient, expensive, and may result in outcomes that actively harm technological progress. This paper proposes a substantive re-think of these systems and lays a foundation upon which practical solutions can be built. Many solutions proposed in the past, such as prior-art bounties, outsourced examination, and dynamic fee setting, have gone unheeded due to the cost of administering them and the rigidity of the patent system. We explore how distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) enable these major changes by altering the way stakeholders are able to interact with the patent records system. We find that transitioning to a DLT-based patent records system can enable many previously suggested improvements to current patent systems in a flexible, scalable, and transparent manner. The case for such a transition is strengthened when jointly considering the complex but common roots of problems facing modern patent systems, rather than a balkanised set of technical solutions to address each issue independently. Noting that a DLT-based system is not a panacea, we also provide comment on the political, legal, and organisational challenges that must be overcome for such changes to be implemented at scale.

Keywords: blockchain; distributed ledger; intellectual property; patent; smart contract (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 72 pages
Date: 2019-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-law and nep-ore
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Chapter: Decentralising the patent system (2024)
Working Paper: Decentralising the Patent System (2019)
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