Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP5970
Authors: Eugenio Archontopoulos; Dominique Guellec; Niels Stevnsborg; Bruno Van Pottelsberghe; Nicolas Van Zeebroeck
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 2 million EPO applications database - show that the average size of applications has doubled over the past 20 years and that it is mainly associated with PCT applications having a US priority. Voluminosity indicators are also influenced by geographical origins and technological areas and strongly impact the workload of the EPO, justifying the need for regulatory and policy actions.
Keywords: patent applications; patent drafting; patent statistics; patent systems; patent voluminosity; workload
JEL Codes: O31; O34; O50
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Voluminosity of patent applications (O34) | EPO's processing capabilities (Y60) |
| Increasing application size (C59) | EPO's processing capabilities (Y60) |
| Larger applications (C55) | Longer processing times (C41) |
| Number of claims/pages (Y10) | Time to grant (C41) |
| Geographical origins and technological areas (O30) | Voluminosity of patent applications (O34) |
| Larger applications (C55) | Delays in the granting process (H81) |
| Voluminosity indicators (C43) | EPO's workload (L87) |