This policy contribution by Bruno von Pottelsberghe argues that the number of priority filings should be used as a patent-based measure of Europe's innovation performance. It also identifies several policies that may affect the R&D-patent relationship.

This paper analyzes firms' choices regarding the geographic scope of patent protection within the European patent system. We develop an econometric model at the patent level to quantify the impact of office fees and translation costs on firms' decision to validate a patent in a particular...