Déterminants des oppositions de brevets. Une analyse microéconomique au niveau belge

This paper is an empirical investigation on the increasing phenomenon of patent litigation. More precisely, the paper aims at assessing several determinants likely to influence the occurrence of patent oppositions against all European granted patents to Belgian applicants over the period 1978-2003. The results confirm the findings of previous studies in this literature. In particular, the economic value of patents and the complexity and uncertainty of patented inventions appear to positively affect opposition cases. On the other hand, patent holders with relative high bargaining power are less likely to be attacked by third parties challengers. Classification JEL : K41, O34