arXiv subjects

Gaetan de Rassenfosse

Publications and source records attributed to Gaetan de Rassenfosse.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Do more citations mean better patents?

This article reviews the empirical evidence on the use of patent citations as a proxy for invention importance. It distinguishes between technical merit, private economic value, and social value, and surveys validation studies using expert ratings, market data, renewal records, and compensation reports. The findings confirm that while the count of citations is positively associated with various dimensions of value, it remains a noisy indicator -- correlated but far from definitive.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2025

International Trade and Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) rules have the potential to shape cross-border trade far more than their legalistic origins might suggest. Drawing on three decades of evidence, this review shows that stronger IP rights simultaneously create market-power forces that raise prices and market-expansion forces that broaden demand, while dynamic incentives spur quality upgrading and new export varieties. Micro-data and quasi-natural experiments after TRIPS reveal that IP most often boosts trade along the extensive margin and redirects some activity toward licensing and foreign investment. Policy bundling and measurement gaps on the strength of IP rights still cloud causal inference. Future work must map intangible flows and enforcement quality to capture the digital, data-driven frontier of international commerce.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2025

The "strength" of patent systems

Patent systems vary widely in how rigorously they define and enforce inventors' rights. On one hand, formal statutes ("law on the books") set the scope of what can be patented and outline procedural safeguards. On the other hand, actual enforcement ("law in practice") determines whether those rights hold up in practice. To capture these dimensions, researchers have developed simple indices of legal provisions and more nuanced proxies for enforcement effectiveness, along with metrics of how applicant-friendly each office's procedures are. Comparative studies of "twin patents" -- identical inventions filed in multiple jurisdictions -- reveal systematic differences in grant rates and bar heights across major offices. By combining these approaches, we gain a multifaceted view of patent-system strength that balances statutory design, administrative practice, and actual enforcement. This perspective is crucial for understanding how different regimes support innovation and shape global knowledge flows.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2025

The Role of Patents: Incentivizing Innovation or Hindering Progress?

This article examines the complex trade-offs inherent in the patent system, exploring whether patents truly incentivize innovation or inadvertently hinder progress. It traces the historical evolution of patent rights from their origins in Renaissance Venice to the modern framework enshrined in constitutional and international law. By balancing the exclusivity granted to inventors with the need for public access to knowledge, the article highlights how patents stimulate R&D investments while sometimes limiting follow-on innovation due to prolonged monopolies. It discusses the economic rationales for patent protection, such as increasing private returns to encourage invention, against criticisms that patents restrict the free flow of ideas essential for collective progress. Ultimately, the review argues that although patents are designed to reward creativity and secure economic benefits, they remain a contentious instrument whose benefits and limitations must be carefully weighed in policy debates.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2025

What Proportion of Knowledge is Patented?

This article examines the proportion of technical knowledge that is eventually patented and discusses implications for innovation. Drawing from economic theory and information science, the study considers a continuum from raw data to applied understanding, while distinguishing between patentable inventions and other types of knowledge. The article explains that although the patent system is designed to incentivize the creation of economically valuable technology, only a small fraction of patentable inventions receive patent protection. Empirical evidence from surveys and historical data reveal that patenting remains an exception rather than a rule in many, but not all, industries. Furthermore, the article explores the trade-offs inherent in public disclosure requirements in patent law, which facilitate knowledge dissemination and may aid competitors. In doing so, it highlights the critical balance between rewarding inventors and preserving the free flow of knowledge, ultimately underscoring the complex role patents play in modern innovation ecosystems.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2025

Why do firms patent?

Firms' decisions to patent innovations involve a complex evaluation of costs, benefits, and strategic considerations. This article explores the economic and practical factors that influence whether companies seek patent protection. It discusses explicit monetary costs--such as legal fees, filing, and international expenses--and non-monetary costs related to public disclosure. Benefits include the provision of exclusion rights that secure returns and protect competitive advantages. Additionally, firms use patents as strategic tools to block rivals, strengthen bargaining positions, signal innovation quality, and attract investment. The analysis also considers alternative protection strategies like secrecy, particularly for small enterprises or industries where disclosure is detrimental.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2025

What is patent quality?

Patent quality is a critical yet complex concept of interest to inventors, legal experts, and policymakers alike. This article demystifies patent quality by examining its various dimensions and definitions. It begins by discussing invention quality, emphasizing that the notion of 'technological superiority' is often too abstract to capture practical impact. The work distinguishes between incremental and radical innovations, highlighting that inventions can be evaluated by improvements over previous technologies and their economic potential. Four definitions of patent quality are explored: one based on invention quality, another linking quality with economic value, a third focusing on drafting clarity, and a fourth measuring compliance with legal standards. The article explains that high-quality patents may not necessarily protect valuable inventions and that weak patents can hold significant economic value due to legal advantages. This accessible review provides a comprehensive framework that benefits a broad audience interested in innovation policy and intellectual property.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2016

Getting Started with PATSTAT Register

This paper provides a technical introduction to the PATSTAT Register database, which contains bibliographical, procedural and legal status data on patent applications handled by the European Patent Office. It presents eight MySQL queries that cover some of the most relevant aspects of the database for research purposes. It targets academic researchers and practitioners who are familiar with the PATSTAT database and the MySQL language.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2014

An Introduction to the Patstat Database with Example Queries

This paper provides an introduction to the Patstat patent database. It offers guided examples of ten popular queries that are relevant for research purposes and that cover the most important data tables. It is targeted at academic researchers and practitioners willing to learn the basics of the database.

cs.DL↗