Prolific inventors and their mobility: scale, impact and significance. What the literature tells us and some hypotheses

In this paper we survey the literature dealing with the category of prolific inventor. We set out some elements regarding nature, scale, significance and impact of the mobility of this population of prolific inventors. In particular the paper suggests an analysis that measures the effects on mobility on individual inventive productivity and the value of invention. We call “prolificness” the capacity to accumulate knowledge and experience through mobility (that is to say through their capital of contacts and interactions).Prolific inventor ; patent ; mobility ; performance ; corporation ; research and development

The evolution of patent functions: New trends, main challenges and implications for firm strategy

Recent publications in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) have shown that the previous literature did not grasp how complex patents are. The goal of this paper is to present an overview of all identified functions of patents and of the main strategic implications of such a complex picture. We first survey the main patent functions : innovation protection, functions related to trade and finance, defensive roles, and patent as an input in the innovation process. We then define each function and analyse their main evolution trends in relation with the current environment. We finally identify the strategic implications of each function. We focus on the implications of the newly identified functions and on the interaction between the different functions.Patent ; Intellectual Property ; Strategic Management ; Functions ; Motives to patent

Related variety and regional growth in Italy

Research & Development, Multinational Firms, Location Strategies

Does internationalisation of technology determine technological diversification in large firms?

The purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between technological diversification and internationalisation of technology for large multinational firms, operating at the world technological frontier. More precisely we address the question as to whether internationalisation determines diversification. The analysis is based on a rich database of the European patenting activity of 345 large multinational firms with the highest levels of patenting over two periods of time (1988-1990 and 1994-1996). The relationship is tested using a variety of different regression models. The results show that for the sample as a whole there is no statistically significant relationship between technological diversification and internationalisation of technology. However when the sample is disaggregated according to the predominant internationalisation strategy adopted by a firm, we find a statistically significant relationship. Our results show that in a cross-section of firms adopting a homebase- augmenting strategy, internationalisation determines the level of diversification. Thus amongst such large firms a higher level of internationalisation of technology is associated with a greater level of diversification.multinational firms, technological diversification,internationalisation of technology, patenting

"Causes, Consequences and Dynamics of 'Complex' Distributions of Technological Activities: The Case of Prolific Inventors"

We provide a framework for understanding the causes and consequences of the observed shapes of the distributions of individual inventors' productivities. We review a literature that begins with Lotka's (1926) "law" regarding the persistence of variability in scientific productivity at any point in time and also over time. We discuss use of the "power law" and the Pareto distribution to describe and explain the empirical distributions. We focus on the upper parts of the frequency distributions for inventors exploring the processes underlying knowledge accumulation at the individual level, including its features, characteristics, and structural trends. Finally we explore the specific processes by which these individuals create, maintain, and increase knowledge accumulation as their careers evolve.patents, inventors, prolific, lotka

Prolific Inventor Productivity and Mobility: A Western/Asian com-parison. Evidence from US Patent Data for 12 Countries

This paper provides new insights into the role of individual inventors inthe innovation process. Individuals are central in this creative process becauseinnovation is not simply a product of firms and organizations; it requiresindividual creativity (Rothaermel and Hess, 2007). We focus our analysis on prolific inventors (a rich sub category of inventors) because they contribute sohugely to national invention totals (Le Bas et al., 2010) and tend to produceinventions that have more economic value (Gambardella et al., 2005; Gay et al.,2008). Converging empirical evidence has established the significance ofprolific inventors (Ernst et al., 2000). Previous studies of prolific (or “key”)inventors have focused more on the firms in which they work or on the industriesin which the firms operate. Narin and Breitzman’s (1995) seminal work on thetopic is based on an analysis of only four firms in a single sector and a recentpaper by Pilkington et al. (2009) uses only two firms. In contrast to these studieson small samples, we use a very large data set which includes thousands ofinventors in thousands of firms from several countries.Artykuł przedstawia nowe spojrzenie na rolę indywidualnych wynalazców w procesie tworzenia innowacji. Wynalazcy indywidualni stanowią element centralny procesu twórczego. Innowacja nie jest produktem firm i organizacji, wymaga indywidualnej kreatywności (Rothaermel i Hess 2007). Badanie koncentruje się na analizie płodnych wynalazców. Wynalazcy tej kategorii mają najwyższy udział w generowaniu ogółu wynalazków (Le Bas et al. 2010) o wysokiej wartości ekonkomicznej (Gambardella et al. 2005). Poprzednie badania kluczowych wynalazców skupiały się analizie firm, w których pracują lub w branżach, w których te firmy działają