Selected Quantitative Studies of Patents in Standards

Ruth Bekkers, Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), Justus Baron, École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris - Centre d'Économie Industrielle (CERNA), Arianna Martinelli, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa, Yann Meniere, Mines-Paristech, Önder Nomaler, Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), and Tim Christoph Pohlmann, Berlin University of Technology, Chair of Innovation Economics

7/09/2014
(Original Publish Date: 6/20/2014)

After an introduction into the principle data and methodology, this study starts by providing a quantitative overview of the general features of standard essential patents (also called SEPs). It considers the occurrence of essential patents, how their existence has developed over time, and how essential patents are distributed among SSOs, technology areas, standards, and owners (including their business models). It also considers the legal status of such patents, for example whether they are actually enforceable. The study continues with an analysis on how SEPs differ from ‘regular’ patents. To make a fair comparison, a matched control set of patents was developed. We consider and compare the citation performance, the family size, and the patent grant likelihood. The final four chapters of the study focus on a set of specific topics: (1) ‘blanket disclosures’, (2) essential patent transfer, (3) patent pools, and (4) and litigation.