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Tracking patent transfers in different European countries: methods and a first application to medical technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Laurie Ciaramella

    (CERNA - Centre for industrial economics, i3, CNRS)

  • Catalina Martínez

    (CSIC Institute of Public Goods and Policies, IPP)

  • Yann Ménière

    (European Patent Office
    CERNA - Centre for industrial economics, i3, CNRS)

Abstract

Drawing on more than half a million granted patents in all technological sectors filed at EPO between 1998 and 2012 we gather information on 300,000 inscriptions affecting changes in their ownership at the EPO and top national registers (France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain). After grouping parallel legal events in different European validation countries, we find that more than 30% of EPO patents in all fields change ownership at least once. For the field of medical technologies, we exploit additional information on corporate structures to further distinguish between “intragroup” and “bare” changes of ownership thanks. Our results indicate that more than two-thirds of the transfers happen “intragroup”, that is between related corporate entities. Using regressions analyses, we finally explore and discuss relations between the occurrence and types of these transfers of patent and proxies for patent quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurie Ciaramella & Catalina Martínez & Yann Ménière, 2017. "Tracking patent transfers in different European countries: methods and a first application to medical technologies," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 112(2), pages 817-850, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:112:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-017-2411-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-017-2411-1
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    1. Sterzi, Valerio & Rameshkoumar, Jean-Paul & Van Der Pol, Johannes, 2021. "Non-practicing entities and transparency of patent ownership in Europe: the case of UK dormant companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    2. Sharma, Rishi R. & Slemrod, Joel & Stimmelmayr, Michael, 2023. "Tax losses and ex-ante offshore transfer of intellectual property," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    3. Peters, Bettina & Diekhof, Josefine & Grimpe, Christoph & Marks, Hannes & Sofka, Wolfgang, 2023. "Machbarkeitsstudie Technologiemärkte," Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem 8-2023, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI) - Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation, Berlin.
    4. Catalina Martínez & Valerio Sterzi, 2021. "The impact of the abolishment of the professor’s privilege on European university-owned patents," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 247-282, March.
    5. Adrien HERVOUET & Emmanuel LORENZON & Cesare RIGHI & Valerio STERZI, 2023. "Patent Privateering," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2023-10, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    6. Peters, Bettina & Marks, Hannes & Trunschke, Markus & Grimpe, Christoph & Sofka, Wolfgang & Czarnitzki, Dirk, 2023. "Schwerpunktstudie Technologiemärkte," Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem 9-2023, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI) - Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation, Berlin.
    7. Valerio Sterzi & Cecilia Maronero & Gianluca Orsatti & Andrea Vezzulli, 2024. "Non-practicing entities in Europe: an empirical analysis of patent acquisitions at the European Patent Office," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 33(5), pages 1271-1297.
    8. Ronald B. Davies & Dieter Franz Kogler & Ryan M. Hynes, 2020. "Patent Boxes and the Success Rate of Applications," Working Papers 202018, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    9. Jianhua Hou & Xiucai Yang & Haoyang Song & Haiyue Yao, 2023. "Will patent family be dormant? Research on the identification and characteristics of sleeping beauty’s patent family," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(10), pages 5361-5387, October.
    10. Peters, Bettina & Diekhof, Josefine & Marks, Hannes & Grimpe, Christoph & Sofka, Wolfgang, 2021. "Machbarkeitsstudie "Technologiemärkte". Bericht an die Expertenkommission für Forschung und Innovation: Abschlussbericht (10.05.2021)," ZEW Expertises, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, number 243274.
    11. Yutao Sun & Chen Zhang & Robert A. W. Kok, 2020. "The role of research outcome quality in the relationship between university research collaboration and technology transfer: empirical results from China," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 122(2), pages 1003-1026, February.
    12. Ciaramella, Laurie, 2023. "Taxation and the transfer of patents: Evidence from Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    13. Sterzi, Valerio & Maronero, Cecilia & Orsatti, Gianluca & Vezzulli, Andrea, 2023. "Non-Practicing Entities and their patent acquisition activity in Europe," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 202306, University of Turin.
    14. Gianluca Orsatti & Valerio Sterzi, 2018. "Do Patent Assertion Entities Harm Innovation? Evidence from Patent Transfers in Europe," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2018-08, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    15. Valerio STERZI & Jean-Paul RAMESHKOUMAR & Johannes VAN DER POL, 2020. "Non-practicing entities and transparency in patent ownership in Europe," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2020-10, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Patent; Patent trade; Technology markets; Medical technologies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O5 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies
    • D - Microeconomics

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