When small is beautiful: measuring the evolution and consequences of the voluminosity of patent applications at the EPO

Eugenio Archontopoulos, Dominique Guellec, Niels Stevnsborg, Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potter () and Nicolas van Zeebroeck

ULB Institutional Repository from ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles

Abstract: The joint increase in the number and size of patents filed around the world puts patent systems under pressure. This paper addresses issues in measuring the voluminosity of patent applications and highlights patterns in its evolution. The results, based on a database of 2 million EPO applications, show that the average size of applications has doubled over the past 20 years and that this is mainly associated with PCT applications having a US priority. Voluminosity indicators are influenced by geographical origins and technological areas and strongly impact the workload of the EPO, justifying the need for regulatory and policy actions. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Patent applications; Patent drafting; Patent statistics; Patent systems; Patent voluminosity; Workload (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (59)

Published in: Information Economics and Policy (2007) v.19 n° 2,p.103-132

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Related works:
Journal Article: When small is beautiful: Measuring the evolution and consequences of the voluminosity of patent applications at the EPO (2007)
Working Paper: When Small is Beautiful: Measuring the Evolution and Consequences of the Voluminosity of Patent Applications at the EPO (2006)
Working Paper: When small is beautiful: measuring the evolution and consequences of the voluminosity of patent applications at the EPO (2006)
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