Patent Transactions in the Marketplace: Lessons from the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset

55 Pages Posted: 12 Nov 2015

See all articles by Stuart J.H. Graham

Stuart J.H. Graham

Georgia Institute of Technology - Scheller College of Business

Alan C. Marco

Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Public Policy

Amanda Myers

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 9, 2015

Abstract

While records of the assignments (transactions) affecting US patents and patent applications have been maintained by the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) for over 40 years, few researchers have used them. To help remedy this deficiency, the USPTO Office of Chief Economist is releasing research-ready data files. This paper describes the contents of the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset, a database covering roughly 6 million assignments and other transactions recorded during 1970-2014 and affecting about 10 million US patents or patent applications published 1930-2014. Records include information on transferred patent and application numbers, the dates a transaction was executed by the parties and subsequently recorded at the USPTO, the assignor(s) and assignee(s), and the “nature of conveyance” (for instance, whether the transaction was an assignment, merger, security agreement, or license). This paper provides a comprehensive description and presents stylized facts to facilitate better understanding and motivate future research. Although the paper describes limitations inherent in the data, their release nevertheless offers researchers many novel avenues for conducting original research, particularly those related to the study of innovation, the markets for technology, and the financial collateralization of intellectual property and intangible assets.

Keywords: Intellectual Property, Patents, Markets for Technology, Innovation, Licensing, Finance

JEL Classification: O3, L2, G1, G2, G3

Suggested Citation

Graham, Stuart J.H. and Marco, Alan C. and Myers, Amanda, Patent Transactions in the Marketplace: Lessons from the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (April 9, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2489153 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2489153

Stuart J.H. Graham (Contact Author)

Georgia Institute of Technology - Scheller College of Business ( email )

800 West Peachtree St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
United States
404-385-0953 (Phone)
404-894-6030 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/graham

Alan C. Marco

Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Public Policy ( email )

685 Cherry St.
Atlanta, GA 30332-0345
United States

Amanda Myers

United States Patent and Trademark Office ( email )

Alexandria
VA 22313-1451
United States

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