Why Did Corporations Patent in Spain? Some Historical Inquiries

Abstract

This paper explores how international corporations used the Spanish patent system in the late nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century in order to discover what the actual effects of its apparent weakness were. The research clarifies the origins and evolution of corporate patenting in Spain, the effects of compulsory working clauses, the management of assignments, the various strategies followed by firms, and the effects of patents on technology transfer to the Spanish economy. The conclusions yields understanding on real patent management over the long-term by analyzing the strategies of Brown Boveri and Babcock Wilcox corporations in Spain.