Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Georg von Graevenitz
Author-X-Name-First: Georg
Author-X-Name-Last: von Graevenitz
Author-Email: g.v.graevenitz@qmul.ac.uk
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London.
Author-Name: Antanina Garanasvili
Author-X-Name-First: Antanina
Author-X-Name-Last: Garanasvili
Author-Email: 
Author-Workplace-Name: Queen Mary University of London.
Title: The European Patent System: A Descriptive Analysis
Abstract:The European Patent System consists of national patent offices (NPOs) and the supranational European Patent Office (EPO). EPO and the NPOs have granted patents in Europe side-by-side since 1980. The resulting patent system is complicated and less coordinated than might be expected. Firms must  consider a number of variables when selecting the route of patenting they take within this system: price, rigour of examination, duration of examination, quality of legal redress. To date there is little descriptive evidence on how firms choose between EPO and national offices. This paper provides a rich descriptive analysis of patenting in Europe. We analyze how origin, size and technological focus of companies, affect how they choose among patent offices within the EPS and report differences in examination durations and grant rates across patent offices.
Length: 22 pages
Creation-Date: 2018-08 
Revision-Date: 
Publication-Status: 
Classification-JEL: O34, O31, L20, K11
Keywords: Patents, Patent Offices, Validation, Patent Propensity
File-URL: http://cgr.sbm.qmul.ac.uk/CGRWP94.pdf
Number: 94
Handle: RePEc:cgs:wpaper:94