Community structure in co-inventor networks affects time to first citation for patents

We have investigated community structure in the co-inventor network of a given cohort of patents and related this structure to the dynamics of how these patents acquire their first citation. A statistically significant difference in the time lag until first citation is linked to whether or not this citation comes from a patent whose listed inventors share membership in the same communities as the inventors of the cited patent. Although the inventor-community structures identified by different community-detection algorithms differ in several aspects, including the community-size distribution, the magnitude of the difference in time to first citation is robustly exhibited. Our work is able to quantify the expected acceleration of knowledge flow within inventor communities and thereby further establishes the utility of network-analysis tools for studying innovation dynamics.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, BioMedCentral article style, to appear in Applied Network Science - special issue 'Community structure in networks

Geographic clustering and network evolution of innovative activities: Evidence from China’s patents

This study examines the spatial distribution and social structure of processes of learning and knowledge creation within the context of the inventor network connecting Chinese patent teams. Results uncover mixed tendencies toward both geographic co-location and dispersion arising from combined processes of intra-cluster learning and extra-cluster networking. These processes unfold within a social network that becomes less fragmented over time: as a giant component emerges and increases in size, social distances among inventors become longer. The interplay between geographic and network proximity is assessed against China’s institutional environment. Implications of the findings are discussed for regional development and policy-making.clusters; knowledge transfer; social networks; patenting

Birds of a Feather - Better Together? Exploring the Optimal Spatial Distribution of Ethnic Inventors

We examine how the spatial and social proximity of inventors affects knowledge flows, focusing especially on how the two forms of proximity interact. We develop a knowledge flow production function (KFPF) as a flexible tool for modeling access to knowledge and show that the optimal spatial concentration of socially proximate inventors in a city or nation depends on whether spatial and social proximity are complements or substitutes in facilitating knowledge flows. We employ patent citation data, using same-MSA and co-ethnicity as proxies for spatial and social proximity, respectively, to estimate the key KFPF parameters. Although co-location and co-ethnicity both predict knowledge flows, the marginal benefit of co-location is significantly less for co-ethnic inventors. These results imply that dispersion of socially proximate individuals is optimal from the perspectives of the city and the economy. In contrast, for socially proximate individuals themselves, spatial concentration is preferred - and the only stable equilibrium.

Value of Software Innovations: The Influence of Social Capital

Technology and innovation are key drivers of economic growth and global competitiveness. However, technological (computer-implemented) innovations are extremely heterogeneous in value. In this study, we investigate the impact of social capital accrued by inventors from collaboration networks in which they are embedded on value of software innovation. Based on empirical analysis on software patents data collected from United States Patent and Trademark Office, we find that the quality of a team’s external direct contacts significantly influence the value of innovation while the quality of indirect contacts on the other hand has no significant impact. In addition, teams that have access to diverse knowledge across multiple regions are more likely to produce valuable innovations. Our results suggest the importance for firms to understand interpersonal collaboration network of inventors across traditional firm and regional boundaries to implement effective hiring, improve team productivity and create valuable innovations

Measure of Design M&As: Exploratory investigations of IP analysis in design

Despite active participation of design firms in M&A markets, there has been little research measuring the value of design M&As. It is partially due that design has been seen to be an intangible asset. This paper seeks to the understanding of the value of design M&As and provides a possible metric for measuring the value using patent analysis. The value of design M&A was investigated at two levels: Design as differentiator (i.e., new product development) and Design as coordinator or integrator (i.e., organizational growth). The evolution of patenting quantity (e.g., the number of design patent applications, Locarno classes) and quality (e.g., forward citation, coinventor networks) in pre- and post-acquisition deals was suggested. We conducted a case study using the design and utility patents of Adobe Systems Inc. The results show the dynamics of innovation area and the presence of the high values of inventors holding design-tech linkage, which could be a potential intangible source of company growth. This study further provides implications for companies which might consider design M&As as new ways of design investment

Keeping the LEDs on and the Electric Motors Running: Clean Tech in Court After Ebay

The recent rise of non-practicing patentees (NPPs) in the clean technology space comes at a time when the international community is debating the role of intellectual property rights in the deployment and implementation of technologies to combat climate change. While the impact of intellectual property rights on the deployment of clean technology has been studied, less attention has been given to the role intellectual property regimes play in maintaining the operation of those technologies already deployed in the fight against global warming. This iBrief focuses on clean technologies that have already achieved substantial market penetration and observes that recent trends in patent law are, to a large extent, allowing those technologies to continue working to reduce carbon emissions. Specifically, the course correction in the law of patent injunctions brought about by eBay v. MercExchange and the endorsement of court-imposed ongoing royalty payments in Paice v. Toyota demonstrate an important shift in patent law that is tempering the impact of clean tech NPPs in Title 35 infringement actions in federal courts. However, these trends have caused a tactical adjustment by clean tech NPPs—namely, filing suits in the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), where the remedy of an exclusion order is available. These ITC cases could adversely affect implemented clean technologies

Organizational paths of commercializing patented inventions: The effects of transaction costs, firm capabilities, and collaborative ties

This study examines the factors affecting modes of commercializing patented inventions using a novel dataset based on a survey of U.S. inventors. We find that technological uncertainty and possessing complementary assets raise the propensity for internal commercialization. We find that R&D collaboration with firms in a horizontal relationship is likely to increase the propensity to license the invention. In addition, the paper shows that macro-level environment conditions that affect exchange conditions, such as technology familiarity, influence the effects of capabilities on governance choice.transaction cost economics; knowledge-based view; collaboration ties; commercialization; innovation; patent

Bridging academia and industry: how geographic hubs connect university science and corporate technology

Innovative firms rely increasingly on academic science, yet they exploit only a small fraction of all academic discoveries. Which discoveries in academia do firms build upon? We posit that hubs play the role of bridges between academic science and corporate technology. Tracking citations from patents to approximately 10 million academic articles, we find that hubs facilitate the flow of academic science into corporate inventions in two ways. First, hub-based discoveries in academia are of higher quality and are more applied. Second, firms—in particular young, innovative, science-oriented ones—pay disproportionate attention to hub-based discoveries. We address concerns regarding unobserved heterogeneity by confirming the role of firms’ attention to hub-based science in a set of 147 simultaneous discoveries. Importantly, hubs not only facilitate localized knowledge flow but also extend the geographic reach of academic science, attracting the attention of distant firms.http://10.0.5.7/mnsc.2019.3385Published versio

Science Quality and the Value of Inventions

Despite decades of research, the relationship between the quality of science and the value of inventions has remained unclear. We present the result of a large-scale matching exercise between 4.8 million patent families and 43 million publication records. We find a strong positive relationship between quality of scientific contributions referenced in patents and the value of the respective inventions. We rank patents by the quality of the science they are linked to. Strikingly, high-rank patents are twice as valuable as low-rank patents, which in turn are about as valuable as patents without direct science link. We show this core result for various science quality and patent value measures. The effect of science quality on patent value remains relevant even when science is linked indirectly through other patents. Our findings imply that what is considered "excellent" within the science sector also leads to outstanding outcomes in the technological or commercial realm.Comment: 44 page