Workshop: Informing the use of Patents to Study Invention and Innovation

在过去的七年里，该计划支持旨在推进科学和创新政策的科学基础的研究，支持了许多利用专利数据作为主要实证调查的研究。复杂的模型、新方法和日益增强的计算能力已被用于审查专利活动，因此已经学到了很多东西。但在这段时间里，许多人开始质疑专利作为发明的代理措施的潜在效用，因为专利法的变化和公司专利实践的演变。研讨会汇集了领先的学术研究人员、专利法学者以及使用专利的政府机构和企业的代表。研究结果将有助于研发政策的制定和研发资源的分配。讲习班的目标是确定使用专利数据有用和适当的研究主题；讨论新的研究领域，其中专利是一个适当的实证分析来源；对使用专利数据的挑战和限制（特别是近年来专利法的实践改变了专利申请和最终授权的方式，可能产生的限制）达成一致的理解；最后，提供与专利数据相关的各种利益相关者可以合作解决和/或克服这些限制和挑战的方法。

Over its seven years of existence, the SciSIP Program, which supports research designed to advance the scientific basis of science and innovation policy, has supported many studies which have utilized data on patents as their principal empirical probe. Sophisticated models, new methods and increasing computational power have been brought to bear to the examination of patenting activity, and as a consequence much has been learned. But over this time many have come to question the underlying utility of patents as a proxy measure for invention in light of changes to patent law and the evolution of patenting practice by firms. The workshop brings together leading academic researchers, patent legal scholars as well as representatives from the governmental agencies and businesses which use patents. The results will help in formulating R&D policy and allocating R&D resources. The goals of the workshop are to identify research themes in which the use of patent data has been useful and appropriate; to discuss new research domains for which patents are an appropriate source of empirical analysis; develop an agreed understanding of the challenges and limitations in using patent data (particularly those limitations which may have been borne in recent years as the practice of patent law has changed the manner in which patents are pursued and ultimately authored); and lastly to offer ways in which various stakeholders regarding patent data can work to address and/or overcome these limitations and challenges.