Incidence and Growth of Patent Thickets - The Impact of Technological Opportunities and Complexity

Georg von Graevenitz, Stefan Wagner and Dietmar Harhoff ()

Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems from Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich

Abstract: We investigate incidence and evolution of patent thickets. Our empirical analysis is based on a theoretical model of patenting in complex and discrete technologies. The model captures how competition for patent portfolios and complementarity of patents affect patenting incentives. We show that lower technological opportunities increase patenting incentives in complex technologies while they decrease incentives in discrete technologies. Also, more competitors increase patenting incentives in complex technologies and reduce them in discrete technologies. To test these predictions a new measure of the density of patent thickets is introduced. European patent citations are used to construct measures of fragmentation and technological opportunity. Our empirical analysis is based on a panel capturing patenting behavior of 2074 firms in 30 technology areas over 15 years. GMM estimation results confirm the predictions of our theoretical model. The results show that patent thickets exist in 9 out of 30 technology areas. We find that decreased technological opportunities are a surprisingly strong driver of patent thicket growth.

Keywords: Patenting; Patent thickets; Patent portfolio races; Complexity; Technological Opportunities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L13 L20 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~ and nep-knm
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Incidence and Growth of Patent Thickets: The Impact of Technological Opportunities and Complexity (2013)
Working Paper: Incidence and Growth of Patent Thickets - The Impact of Technological Opportunities and Complexity (2008)
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