Patent collaborations: From segregation to globalization

Abstract

• The number of patents required to reach percolation decreases over time. • Geographical interplay of the two major groups of applicants increases over time. • Non-European applicants’ participation increases over time. • Japan contributes significantly to the network’s coherence. • The critical patents are typically introduced by large-sized applicants. We studied the evolution of the European Patent Office (EPO) patents applicants’ collaborations network, within a 35 years span of data (1978–2013). Focusing on the Giant Component (GC) formation process over many time-windows, distributed throughout the data timeline, we found that the features governing this phenomenon are indicative of emerging globalization in the applicants’ collaborations. The timeline appears to be divided into three regimes, corresponding to three states of the network’s evolution. In the early years state, the GC takes long to form and the instant of its creation is easily pinpointed, while it features geographically segregated groups of applicants with technologically similar activities. In contrast, in the late years state, the GC forms quickly, the exact point of its creation is harder to spot, the applicants’ activities are more disparate technologically, while their inter-regional collaborations are significantly increased. The middle years are an intermediate state between the two extreme of early and late years. Moreover, we concluded that the critical patents, which induce the GC’s formation, are typically introduced by large-sized applicants and also that top patent-producing applicants are likely to submit critical patents, albeit at a lower rate than their overall patent submission. Lastly, we uncovered the crucial role that Japan plays in the network’s coherence, through its prominent participation in the GC and the critical patents.