IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chieco/v36y2015icp198-219.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

International patenting by Chinese residents: Constructing a database of Chinese foreign-oriented patent families

Author

Listed:
  • Wunsch-Vincent, Sacha
  • Kashcheeva, Mila
  • Zhou, Hao

Abstract

This paper analyzes Chinese patenting abroad by constructing a novel database of foreign-oriented patent families (1970–2012) and by distilling stylized facts about China's international patenting strategies. Patent families are a set of related patents filed in one or more foreign jurisdictions to protect the same invention. We find that by the turn of the century China emerged as major actor in terms of international patenting. Nonetheless, the share of Chinese patents which get filed abroad is still a fraction of patents filed at home; most patents abroad also only target one foreign country. Moreover, China's foreign patents are concentrated in a few technology fields and in a few firms, mostly the information technology sector. A shift is underway however to an increased proportion of filings abroad. The paper finds that the main drivers for this change are the desire to facilitate collaboration, to license IP, and to further the firm's reputation as true innovator.

Suggested Citation

  • Wunsch-Vincent, Sacha & Kashcheeva, Mila & Zhou, Hao, 2015. "International patenting by Chinese residents: Constructing a database of Chinese foreign-oriented patent families," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 198-219.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:36:y:2015:i:c:p:198-219
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2015.08.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043951X15001042
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chieco.2015.08.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Titus O. Awokuse & Weishi Grace Gu, 2015. "Does Foreign Intellectual Property Rights Protection Affect Us Exports And Fdi?," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(3), pages 256-264, July.
    2. Kroll, Henning, 2011. "Exploring the validity of patent applications as an indicator of Chinese competitiveness and market structure," World Patent Information, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 23-33, March.
    3. Jefferson, Gary & Hu, Albert G. Z. & Guan, Xiaojing & Yu, Xiaoyun, 2003. "Ownership, performance, and innovation in China's large- and medium-size industrial enterprise sector," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 89-113.
    4. Li, Xibao, 2012. "Behind the recent surge of Chinese patenting: An institutional view," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 236-249.
    5. Hu, Albert Guangzhou, 2010. "Propensity to patent, competition and China's foreign patenting surge," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 985-993, September.
    6. Sun, Yifei, 2003. "Determinants of foreign patents in China," World Patent Information, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 27-37, March.
    7. Can Huang & Celeste Amorim & Joaquim Borges Gouveia & Mark Spinoglio & Augusto Medina, 2004. "Organization, Program and Structure: An Analysis of the Chinese Innovation Policy Framework," Working Papers de Economia (Economics Working Papers) 17, Departamento de Economia, Gestão e Engenharia Industrial, Universidade de Aveiro.
    8. Wipo, 2014. "World Intellectual Property Indicators, 2014 edition," WIPO Economics & Statistics Series, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division, number 2014:941, April.
    9. Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2011. "The puzzle of patent value indicators," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 33-62.
    10. Faust, Konrad & Schedl, Hans, 1983. "International patent data: Their utilization for the analysis of technological developments," World Patent Information, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 144-157.
    11. Hu, Mei-Chih & Mathews, John A., 2008. "China's national innovative capacity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 1465-1479, October.
    12. Hu, Albert Guangzhou & Jefferson, Gary H., 2004. "Returns to research and development in Chinese industry: Evidence from state-owned enterprises in Beijing," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 86-107, January.
    13. Hu, Albert Guangzhou & Jefferson, Gary H., 2009. "A great wall of patents: What is behind China's recent patent explosion?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 57-68, September.
    14. Martin Schaaper, 2009. "Measuring China's Innovation System: National Specificities and International Comparisons," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2009/1, OECD Publishing.
    15. Motohashi, Kazuyuki, 2008. "Assessment of technological capability in science industry linkage in China by patent database," World Patent Information, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 225-232, September.
    16. Awokuse, Titus O. & Yin, Hong, 2010. "Intellectual property rights protection and the surge in FDI in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 217-224, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dang, Jianwei & Kang, Byeongwoo & Ding, Ke, 2019. "International protection of standard essential patents," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 75-86.
    2. Fernandez, Viviana, 2022. "Innovative intensity in the mining industry: Evidence from patent families," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    3. Liu, Qing & Qiu, Larry D., 2016. "Intermediate input imports and innovations: Evidence from Chinese firms' patent filings," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 166-183.
    4. Fernandez, Viviana, 2021. "Patenting trends in the mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Viviana Fernandez, 2021. "Cross-country concentration and specialization of mining inventions," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(8), pages 6715-6759, August.
    6. Qing Liu & Larry D Qiu, 2017. "Effects of Intermediate Input Tariff Reduction on Innovations in China," Working Papers 022017, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    7. Howell, Anthony & Lin, Jia & Worack, Stephan, 2020. "Going out to innovate more at home: Impacts of outward direct investments on Chinese firms' domestic innovation performance," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    8. Yao, Li & Li, Jun & Chen, Kaihua & Yu, Rongjian, 2024. "Winning the second race of technology standardization: Strategic maneuvers in SEP follow-on innovations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(6).
    9. Wipo, 2017. "World Intellectual Property Report 2017 - Intangible Capital in Global Value Chains," WIPO Economics & Statistics Series, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division, number 2017:944, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mila Kashcheeva & Sacha Wunsch-Vincent & Hao Zhou, 2014. "International Patenting Strategies of Chinese Residents: an analysis of foreign-oriented patent families," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 20, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    2. Cai, Helen (Huifen) & Sarpong, David & Tang, Xiaoyun & Zhao, Guiqin, 2020. "Foreign patents surge and technology spillovers in China (1985–2009): Evidence from the patent and trade markets," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Dang, Jianwei & Motohashi, Kazuyuki, 2015. "Patent statistics: A good indicator for innovation in China? Patent subsidy program impacts on patent quality," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 137-155.
    4. Markus Eberhardt & Christian Helmers & Zhihong Yu, 2011. "Is the Dragon Learning to Fly? An Analysis of the Chinese Patent Explosion," Discussion Papers 11/16, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    5. Yanrui Wu, 2012. "R&D Behaviour in Chinese Firms," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 12-26, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    6. Dang, Jangwei & Motohashi, Kazuyuki, 2013. "Patent statistics: a good indicator for innovation in China? Assessment of impacts of patent subsidy programs on patent quality," MPRA Paper 56184, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Giorgio Prodi & Federico Frattini & Francesco Nicolli, 2018. "The diffusion and embeddedness of innovative activities in China," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 35(1), pages 71-106, April.
    8. Keupp, Marcus Matthias & Friesike, Sascha & von Zedtwitz, Maximilian, 2012. "How do foreign firms patent in emerging economies with weak appropriability regimes? Archetypes and motives," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(8), pages 1422-1439.
    9. Christian Fisch & Tobias Hassel & Philipp Sandner & Joern Block, 2015. "University patenting: a comparison of 300 leading universities worldwide," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 318-345, April.
    10. Lin, Jia & Wu, Ho-Mou & Wu, Howei, 2021. "Could government lead the way? Evaluation of China's patent subsidy policy on patent quality," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    11. Huang, Kenneth Guang-Lih & Huang, Can & Shen, Huijun & Mao, Hao, 2021. "Assessing the value of China's patented inventions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    12. Felix Groba & Jing Cao, 2015. "Chinese Renewable Energy Technology Exports: The Role of Policy, Innovation and Markets," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 60(2), pages 243-283, February.
    13. Boeing, Philipp & Mueller, Elisabeth & Sandner, Philipp, 2016. "China's R&D explosion—Analyzing productivity effects across ownership types and over time," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 159-176.
    14. Zhuan Xie & Xiaobo Zhang, 2015. "The patterns of patents in China," China Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 122-142, May.
    15. Wang, Xu & Xie, Zhuan & Zhang, Xiaobo & Huang, Yiping, 2018. "Roads to innovation: Firm-level evidence from People's Republic of China (PRC)," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 154-170.
    16. Prud'homme, Dan, 2012. "A statistical analysis of China's patent quality situation and larger innovation ecosystem," MPRA Paper 51619, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Siping Luo & Mary E. Lovely & David Popp, 2017. "Intellectual returnees as drivers of indigenous innovation: Evidence from the Chinese photovoltaic industry," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(11), pages 2424-2454, November.
    18. Sun, Sunny Li & Chen, Victor Z. & Sunny, Sanwar A. & Chen, Jie, 2019. "Venture capital as an innovation ecosystem engineer in an emerging market," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 1-1.
    19. Liu, Li-jun & Cao, Cong & Song, Min, 2014. "China's agricultural patents: How has their value changed amid recent patent boom?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 106-121.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; Innovation; Intellectual property; Patents; Patent families;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:36:y:2015:i:c:p:198-219. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/chieco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.