MISCLASSIFICATION BETWEEN PATENT OFFICES: EVIDENCE FROM A MATCHED SAMPLE OF PATENT APPLICATIONS

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Palangkaraya, Alfons; Webster, Elizabeth; Jensen, Paul H.
• 署名单位: University of Melbourne; University of Melbourne
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/REST_a_00111
• 发表日期: 2011-08
• 页码: 1063-1075
• 关键词: models; indicators

摘要

In this paper, we estimate the extent of misclassification in patent examination decisions between the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), that is, applications that are incorrectly refused a patent or incorrectly granted a patent. Using a proxy for inventive step as the predictor of the correct decision, we find that the probability that a true grant'' application is refused is 6.1%, while the probability that a true refusal'' application is granted is 9.8%. However, we find no evidence of an increasing trend of granting bad'' patents at the EPO and JPO.