The EPO traditionally grants at least 60% of all patent applications, the rest being either withdrawn (30-35%) or refused (5%). This paper provides quantitative evidence suggesting that up to 54% of all patent withdrawals could be considered as induced by the work of EPO examiners, and hence may...

The renewal of patents and their geographical scope for protection constitute two essential dimensions in a patent’s life, and probably the most frequently used patent value indicators. The intertwining of these dimensions (the geographical scope of protection may vary over time) makes their...

This study relies on a Cobb-Douglas production function to assess the relationship between the development of innovation capabilities by firms and their labor productivity. Intra-organizational capabilities relate to firms’ corporate culture and work organization, generation of innovative...

This paper aims at contributing to the literature on the determinants of patent value. First, it puts forward a new potential class of value determinants in the form of filing strategies (encompassing filing routes and drafting styles). Second, it provides empirical evidence suggesting that...

This paper provides an in-depth and critical analysis of the current Belgian fiscal regime towards business research and development (R&D) expenditures. The paper clearly shows that what matters the most is the way a policy decision is implemented. In this respect the current R&D tax credit...

This paper provides evidence showing that collaborative agreements in the IT industry contribute to decrease the R&D intensity of the largest firms. This is particularly true for acquisitions (as opposed to alliances, consortia and joint ventures) and for the mixed agreements (i.e. with a sales,...