century. In addition to the funding agency, the data report whether the government has title to the patent ("title" patents …) or funded a patent assigned to a private organization ("license" patents). The data include a large number of "license …" patents that cannot be linked to government funding from patent text or other sources. Combining the historical data with …

are key players (patent hunters) who consistently identify and develop them. Although initially overlooked, these late … new product launches. Patent hunters, as early detectors and adopters of these late-blooming patents, are also associated … instrument for patent hunting, and find strong evidence that these benefits are causally due to patent hunting. The rents …

/deadline system. We explore these tradeoffs by observing patent examiner behavior and examination quality outcomes surrounding a 2011 … reform at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that built on its bi-weekly quota system by adding a set of bonuses tied to …

of the developing world introduces patent protection for new drug products. This may lead to more research on drugs to … those already offering such protection the situation offers a unique opportunity to examine the incentive role of patent … provides a baseline' against which future research activity can be compared once the new global patent regime is fully …

bodies and private firms. One little-explored empirical testing ground is the patent system. This paper examines the … administrative practices of patent offices in sixty countries over a 150-year period. I show that the usage of patent renewal fees … economies, and those where international trade is more important-incorporate discretionary features into their patent systems …

This paper surveys the major changes in patent policy and practice that have occurred in the last two decades in the U … effects of changes in patent policy. Despite the significance of the policy changes and the wide availability of detailed data … patent policy are few. Possible reasons for these limited results are discussed, and possible avenues for future research are …

It may be advantageous to provide a variety of kinds of patent protection to heterogenous innovations. Innovations … protection in order to be encouraged. We model the problem of designing an optimal patent menu (scope and length) when the … fertility of an innovation in generating more innovations cannot be observed. The menu of patent scope can be implemented with …

Does an expansion of patent scope induce more innovative effort by firms? This article provides evidence on this … question by examining firm responses to the Japanese patent reforms of 1988. Interviews with practitioners suggest the reforms … significantly expanded the scope of patent rights in Japan, but that the average response in terms of additional R&D effort and …