IPR-Helpdesk Bulletin: IP eModules

Editorial

	"Kleine Münze" in copyright
	Intellectual Property in FP6 : How it affects Consortium Agreements
	The Community Trade Mark - Ten Years On
	The Danish Patent and Trademark Office in a new role - facilitating business for SMEs

IP in practice

	Patent of the month
	esp@cenet Quiz
	IP eModules


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27	May - June 2006
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25	January - February 2006
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IPR-Helpdesk Bulletin
2002 - 2004

	N. 28, July - August 2006

IP in practice

IP eModules

Patents used as econometric and technology indicators

An objective indicator

Patents are not only a source of technical information, but also represent a unique economic indicator tool. Patents respect a universal format, are well-classified and are considered an accurate indication of the intensity of R&D activities. For these reasons patent economists and technology analysts use patents a lot.

Possible uses

What do patents mean for economists and policy makers?

For economists and policy makers, patents can offer following information:

Which country leads for which technology?
Does R&D translate into patent protection eventually resulting in new products?
What is the IPR flux between countries: how many patents are filed by foreign and domestic applicants in a given country?
Is there a link between the number of patents and the economic welfare?
What are the global protection trends by technology and by country?

What do patent indicators mean for an innovator?

For an innovative company, patents can offer a good indication of:

Who are my competitors or potential partners? This can be assessed by analysing the patent applicants in the field.
What are the leading countries in my field?
What is the patenting trend in my field: increasing number of patents or not covering my technology?
What are the most valuable patents in my field: the most cited ones?

This type of analysis usually requires professional tools. The best thing is to contact your nearest patent library.

Patents promoting innovation

Nowadays, much analysis using patent indicators relates to linking the existence of the patent system to the propensity to innovate and to what extent the patent system contributes to the common good. This remains a very hot subject, especially in fields like IP rights protecting software.