Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP6821
Authors: Nicolas Van Zeebroeck; Bruno Van Pottelsberghe De La Potterie
Abstract: This paper aims at contributing to the literature on the determinants of patent value. First, it puts forward a new potential class of value determinants in the form of filing strategies (encompassing filing routes and drafting styles). Second, it provides empirical evidence suggesting that these strategies are consistently and positively associated with patent value indicators. The empirical implementation relies on a unique dataset (about 250,000 patents granted by the EPO), which allows running large-scale sensitivity tests. The results reveal that the new determinants this paper puts forward ?filing strategies ? are the most stable of all. They also underline strong dependencies of several ?classical? results to the dependent variables and sampling methodologies, partly explaining several inconsistencies observed in the literature.
Keywords: filing strategies; patent quality; patent systems; patent value
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 |
|---|---|
| filing strategies (K41) | patent value indicators (O34) |
| number of claims (G22) | patent value indicators (O34) |
| number of priorities (C69) | patent value indicators (O34) |
| presence of divisional filings (G33) | patent value indicators (O34) |
| PCT route (P30) | patent value indicators (O34) |
| divisional filings (L49) | citation counts (A14) |
| divisional filings (L49) | survival rates of patents (C41) |
| filing strategies (K41) | increased citations (A14) |
| filing strategies (K41) | broader geographical validation (R12) |
| filing strategies (K41) | longer survival rates of patents (C41) |
| PCT route (P30) | triadic families (J12) |