Inequality in the use frequency of patent technology codes

TL;DR

This paper investigates the inequality in the usage frequency of patent technology codes over time, revealing persistent high inequality mainly driven by within-activity differences, with implications for understanding technological innovation patterns.

Contribution

It provides a novel analysis of inequality in patent technology code usage, including decomposition by economic activities and temporal trends from 1977 to 2018.

Findings

Total inequality grew initially then stabilized.

High inequality persists over time.

Within-activity inequality dominates the total inequality.

Abstract

Technology codes are assigned to each patent for classification purposes and to identify the components of its novelty. Not all the technology codes are used with the same frequency - if we study the use frequency of codes in a year, we can find predominant technologies used in many patents and technology codes not so frequent as part of a patent. In this paper, we measure that inequality in the use frequency of patent technology codes. First, we analyze the total inequality in that use frequency considering the patent applications filed under the Patent Co-operation Treaty at international phase, with the European Patent Office as designated office, in the period 1977-2018, on a yearly basis. Then, we analyze the decomposition of that inequality by grouping the technology codes by productive economic activities. We show that total inequality had an initial period of growth followed by a phase of relative stabilization, and that it tends to be persistently high. We also show that total inequality was mainly driven by inequality within productive economic activities, with a low contribution of the between-activities component.