The Transfer of Patents in Imperial Germany

29 Pages Posted: 31 Aug 2009

See all articles by Carsten Burhop

Carsten Burhop

Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods

Date Written: August 2009

Abstract

We describe the transfer of patents in late 19th- and early 20th- century Germany using a new and comprehensive database containing information on about 20,000 transactions. The number of transactions shows an upward trend, in total numbers and as a share of patents in force. In total, about eight percent of patents were transferred at least once during their existence. Many transactions involved the transfer of patents with an above-average quality from individual inventors to firms and to newly-created – ‘entrepreneurial’ – firms. In addition, valuable patents were transferred between firms. About two-thirds of all transfers occurred during the first three years of a patents’ existence, giving the new owner potentially a long period of patent protection.

Keywords: Economic history, Germany, Patents, pre-1913, Technology transfer

JEL Classification: N73, O34

Suggested Citation

Burhop, Carsten, The Transfer of Patents in Imperial Germany (August 2009). MPI Collective Goods Preprint, No. 2009/26, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1463252 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1463252

Carsten Burhop (Contact Author)

Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods ( email )

Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 10
D-53113 Bonn, 53113
Germany

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