Patent Informatics for Patent Thicket Detection

专利丛林是由知识产权相互重叠构成的密集网络。为了使新技术商业化，一个组织必须了解这片丛林的组成部分。一个行业的累积创新可能导致阻碍专利，从而有效地扼杀创新。专利池是一种组织结构，在这种结构中，公司可以将专利权整合到一个许可包中，可以在这些情况下发挥作用，但可能面临反垄断挑战。新的反垄断指导方针现在允许这些专利池在某些情况下被视为有利于竞争，但没有客观识别和衡量灌木丛的方法。假设专利池是在专利丛林已经存在的情况下产生的。分析池塘可能会为识别和测量灌木丛提供洞见。该研究利用网络分析和大型网络的比较，以便深入了解在哪些情况下，丛林可以成为有利于竞争的专利池的基础。这项工作是探索性的，因为专利网络非常大。初步的努力包括修改标准网络密度方程，以纠正专利的时间限制，并制定了专利网络密度的衡量标准。它将得到验证和扩展。这项工作将有助于对大型网络的研究，所产生的工具应在技术搜索过程中有用。许多技术专利池将为网络分析的候选技术的分析和测试提供数据。目标包括MPEG-4， MP3， DVD播放器和DVD光盘，以及其他。

ABSTRACTClarkson, GavinNSF-0425116SGER: Patent Informatics for Patent Thicket DetectionPatent thickets are dense webs of overlapping intellectual property rights. In order to commercialize new technology, an organization must understand the components of the thicket. Cumulative innovation in an industry can lead to blocking patents that effectively stifle innovation. Patent pools, an organizational structure where firms can aggregate patent rights into a package for licensing, can work in these circumstances, but may face antitrust challenges. New antitrust guidelines now permit these patent pools in certain circumstances where they are seen as pro-competitive, but there is no methodology for objectively identifying and measuring thickets. Patent pools are hypothesized to arise when patent thickets already exist. Analyzing pools might provide insight into the identification and measurement of thickets. The research utilizes network analysis and comparison of large networks in order to provide insight into circumstances in which thickets can be the basis for pro-competitive patent pools. The work is exploratory in that the patent networks are very large. The preliminary effort has involved modifying standard network density equations to correct for temporal constraints in patents, and a measure of patent network density has been developed. It will be validated and expanded. The work will contribute to the study of large networks and the resulting tool should be useful in the process of technology search. A number of patent pools in technology will provide the data for analysis and testing of candidate techniques for network analysis. The targets include MPEG-4, MP3, DVD Player and DVD Disc, as well as others.