Abstract
Intellectual property protection via patenting can be regarded as an indispensable means to stay competitive at the national and international levels, also in non-R&D-intensive technology areas. As patents can be used as output indicators of innovation, we aim to shed light on the technological output of non-R&D-intensive sectors with the help of in-depth patent analyses. In addition to investigating the absolute numbers and shares of patent filings compared with the high-technology areas, we examine the positioning of non-R&D-intensive sectors within the innovation chain and assess their internationalisation trends within Germany over the last decade.
The results of our analyses, which are based on the “EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database” (PATSTAT), show that the non-R&D-intensive technology areas are an integral part of the development of research and technology within the world economy. Patents from the non-R&D-intensive areas constitute approximately 40 % of worldwide transnational filings, although the size and importance of the non-R&D-intensive technology areas is highly dependent on national idiosyncrasies and industrial structures. The internationalisation trends reveal that the non-R&D-intensive technology areas are even more strongly targeted toward international markets than high-level technologies, although technologies from non-R&D-intensive are largely positioned at the end of the innovation chain, providing rather downstream or market-oriented inventions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Our matching algorithm, which is based on a Levenshtein distance, covers 93 % of all transnational filings and 81 % of patent applicants in the year 2010 and reaches a precision of 0.91 and a recall of 0.53.
- 2.
From the manufacturing sectors (NACE Rev. 2, 10-33), the following 3-digit NACE codes are defined as leading-edge industries: 20.2, 21.1, 21.2, 25.4, 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, 26.5, 26.6, 26.7, 30.3, and 30.4. High-level technology industries are defined as follows: 20.1, 20.5, 22.1, 26.4, 27.1, 27.2, 27.4, 27.5, 27.9, 28.1, 28.3, 28.4, 28.9, 29.1, 29.3, 30.2, and 32.5. The remaining 66 3-digit NACE codes define the non-R&D-intensive manufacturing industries.
References
Blind, K., Edler, J., Frietsch, R., & Schmoch, U. (2006). Motives to patent: Empirical evidence from Germany. Research Policy, 35, 655–672.
Carpenter, M. P., Narin, F., & Woolf, P. (1981). Citation rates to technologically important patents. World Patent Information, 3(4), 160–163.
Deng, Z., Lev, B., & Narin, F. (1999). Science and technology as predictors of stock performance. Financial Analysts Journal, 55(3), 20–32.
Freeman, C. (1982). The economics of industrial innovation. London: Pinter Publishers.
Frietsch, R., & Schmoch, U. (2006). Technological structures and performance reflected by patent indicators. In U. Schmoch, C. Rammer, & H. Legler (Eds.), National systems of innovation in comparison. Structure and performance indicators for knowledge societies. Dordrecht: Springer.
Frietsch, R., & Schmoch, U. (2010). Transnational patents and international markets. Scientometrics, 82(1), 185–200.
Frietsch, R., Schmoch, U., van Looy, B., Walsh, J. P., Devroede, R., Du Plessis, M., et al. (2010). The value and indicator function of patents. Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem Nr. 15/2010, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI). Berlin.
Frietsch, R., Neuhäusler, P., & Rothengatter, O. (2011). SME patenting – An empirical analysis in nine countries. Presentation at the Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy, October 2011.
Gehrke, B., Frietsch, R., Neuhäusler, P., Rammer, C., & Leidmann, M. (2013). Re-definition of research-intensive industries and goods – NIW/ISI/ZEW-Lists 2012. Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem Nr. 8-2013, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI). Berlin.
Griliches, Z. (1990). Patent statistics as economic indicators: A survey. Journal of economic literature, 28, 1661–1707.
Grupp, H. (1998). Foundations of the economics of innovation – Theory, measurement and practice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Günterberg, B., & Kayser, G. (2004). SMEs in Germany – Facts and figures 2004. IfM-Materialien Nr. 161, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM). Bonn.
Hanel, P. (2008). The use of intellectual property rights and innovation by manufacturing firms in Canada. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 17(4), 285–309.
Harhoff, D., Scherer, F. M., & Vopel, K. (2003). Citations, family size, opposition and the value of patent rights. Research Policy, 32(8), 1343–1363.
Neuhäusler, P. (2012). The use of patents and informal appropriation mechanisms – Differences between sectors and among companies. Technovation, 32(12), 681–693.
Neuhäusler, P., Frietsch, R., & Rothengatter, O. (2014). Patent applications – structures, trends and recent developments 2013. Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem Nr. 4-2014, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI). Berlin.
OECD & Eurostat (Ed.). (2005). Oslo Manual. Proposed guidelines for collecting and interpreting innovation data (3rd ed.). Paris: OECD/Eurostat.
Pleschak, F., & Sabisch, H. (1996). Innovationsmanagement. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel.
Rosenkopf, L., & Nerkar, A. (2001). Beyond local search: Boundary-spanning, exploration and impact in the optical disc industry. Strategic Management Journal, 22, 287–306.
Schubert, T., Neuhäusler, P., Frietsch, R., Rammer, C., & Hollanders, H. (2011). Innovation indicator – Methodoloy report. In BDI (Ed.), Deutsche Telekom Stiftung. Bonn: Deutsche Telekom Stiftung.
Trajtenberg, M. (1990). A penny for your quotes: Patent citations and the value of innovation. Rand Journal of Economics, 21(1), 172–187.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Neuhäusler, P., Frietsch, R. (2015). Patent Activities in Non-R&D-Intensive Technology Areas. In: Som, O., Kirner, E. (eds) Low-tech Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09973-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09973-6_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09972-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09973-6
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsBusiness and Management (R0)