Cooperative Patent Classification Research Articles

Unveiling predictors influencing patent licensing: Analyzing patent scope in robotics and automation

Ensuring the sustainability of technology transfer offices depends on effective patent licensing strategies. This study investigates novel predictors for patent licensing prediction. It emphasizes the importance of judiciously selecting suitable patent-scope metrics to enhance the likelihood of successful patent licensing agreements. This work focuses on a critical aspect of patent scope, specifically examining the number of independent claims, the length of the first claim, the depth of the claim, the Cooperative Patent classification count, the non-US family count, and the family independent count. Additionally, we consider conventional metrics previously investigated in prior research, such as claim count, the count within the International Patent Classification, and Simple Family Application. Our empirical analysis harnesses a dataset comprising patents from university technology transfers within the robotics and automation domain. We analyze the relationship between patent scope measures and licensing outcomes using data visualization and statistical techniques, including the point-biserial correlation coefficient and the t-test. Comparative analysis of the statistical results is performed to identify the most impactful predictor. Our study reveals a correlation between the number of independent claims and the success of patent licensing. In contrast, the rest of the investigated measures do not impact the success of patent licensing.

Labour‐saving automation: A direct measure of occupational exposure

AbstractThis article represents one of the first attempts at building a direct measure of occupational exposure to robotic labour‐saving technologies. After identifying robotic and labour‐saving robotic patents, the underlying 4‐digit CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) code definitions, together with O*NET (Occupational Information Network) task descriptions, are employed to detect functions and operations which are more directed to substituting the labour input and their exposure to labour‐saving automation. This measure allows us to obtain fine‐grained information on tasks and occupations according to their text similarity ranking. Occupational exposure by wage and employment dynamics in the United States is then studied, and complemented by investigating industry and geographical penetration rates.

Rethinking the patent domains: An application to wind energy

Wind energy patents are conventionally defined using Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) and International Patent Classification (IPC) codes that represent wind motors (F03D) and wind energy (Y02E 10/70). This study examines whether these codes sufficiently represent the wind energy patent domain. Using a combination of keywords and classification codes identified through expert input and manual review, we construct an expanded domain with a 7.5% increase in patent count, a 6% increase in recall, and only a 1% decrease in precision for wind energy patents. We also found that the conventional domain is not unbiased; it underrepresents patenting from China and patents published since 2010. This is important because an improved patent domain allows for a holistic patent data set, which is necessary to complete a thorough analysis of the wind industry. Through this wind energy application, we extend our methodology to form a generalized patent search process that can be used to target technology domains within a patent data set.

Obsolescence rate of sectors in patents filed in USPTO

The lifetime of a patent is 20 years, but many patents get abandoned before completing this duration. This may be in part due to the high maintenance fee required by United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), lack of demand for licensing, limited scope for workability in dynamic market situation, deficit of investment in taking it forward, change in the priorities of the inventor or emergence of more affordable or frugal competitive products. We have created a knowledge repository of abandoned patents in USPTO which are available for use by the scholars, entrepreneurs and others in the society. This repository has additional open access features compared to the earlier repository by Pearce such as the names of inventors, the country of inventors, date of abandonment along with the status of the patents, assignee history, number of citations, CPC, NBER and WIPO categories of each patent and entity status.In this paper we have analyzed some trends in the rate of abandonment over the years vis a vis non-abandoned or active patents over the years. We have also explored the number of abandoned and non-abandoned patents in different sectors based on the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) of patents. We have created a framework to classify the patents into separate categories based on the filing and abandonment rate. We have taken forward the work on patent lifecycle and used it to understand lifecycle of patent sectors. We have also created a quantitative metric, called as obsolescence rate, to identify the rising and declining sectors. Based on the obsolescence rate, sectors such as Heterocyclic Compounds (CPC category: C07D); Information Storage Based On Relative Movement Between Record Carrier And Transducer (CPC category: G11B); and Apparatus For Physical Training, Gymnastics, Swimming, Climbing, Or Fencing; Ball Games; Training Equipment (CPC category: A63B) and which are to the right of the reference line have a higher obsolescence rate and are hence declining sectors. Similarly, categories such as Computer Systems Based On Specific Computational Models (CPC category: G06 N); Systems For Controlling Or Regulating Non-Electric Variables (CPC category: G05D); and Control Or Regulating Systems In General; Functional Elements Of Such Systems; Monitoring Or Testing Arrangements For Such Systems Or Elements (CPC category: G05B) are on the left of reference line and are hence the rising sectors.

Recent trends, applications and technological evaluation of protective textile with patent analysis

PurposeThe textile sector is one of the sectors where competition is intense and requires the production of high-value-added products. This study aims to conduct patent analysis to find the technology status, recent trends, applications and technological evaluations of protective textile technologies in practice.Design/methodology/approachMore than 36,840 patent documents related to protective textile technologies are available for researchers, patent examiners and patent researchers. Patent analysis is conducted to report the technology status, recent trends and applications of protective textile technologies. This analysis provides insights into the possible future directions of protective textile technologies in practice. Additionally, association rule mining (ARM) is performed to find the hidden patterns among protective textile technologies.FindingsThe development of protective textile technologies is revealed by the technology evaluation in this study. In addition, the sub-technology classes affecting protective textile technologies are examined using the cooperative patent classification (CPC) codes of the patent documents. Technology status and recent trends of protective textile technologies are provided in detail. The results of this study show that (1) protective textile technologies are constantly being developed, (2) the working areas of medical protective textiles are increasing, (3) there are frequent studies on fabric structures for saving lives within the framework of human needs and (4) there are four technology classes, namely A41D, Y10T, B32B and A62B impacting the other technology classes related to textile technologies such as D10B, Y10T, F41H, A62D, D04H, Y10S and D10B.Originality/valueTo have a competitive advantage in the marketplace, evaluation of textile technologies is critical in developing “functionalized” and “technologized” textile products. In particular, evaluating technologies in developing protective textile products is extremely important to meet customer demands and present competitive products in the market. Examining these patents for technology developers, decision-makers and policymakers is an urgent and necessary job. However, studies examining the development of protective textile technologies with patent analysis are very limited in the literature. To fill this gap, technology status, recent trends and applications of protective textile technologies are reported based on patent analysis and ARM in this study.

Research on the Effect of Information Infrastructure Construction on Low-Carbon Technology Knowledge Flow

The cross-regional diffusion of low-carbon technology knowledge is conducive to the development of low-carbon technology and increases the emission reduction contribution of the wider land. However, the flow of low-carbon technology knowledge faces many obstacles such as information, geography, and local protectionism. This paper focuses on whether and how information infrastructure construction can promote the flow of low-carbon technology knowledge under the digital wave. Through the low-carbon technology patents of category Y02 under the classification standard of Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) and by matching them to the city level to measure the low-carbon technology knowledge flow, empirical research finds that: information infrastructure cannot only directly promote the low-carbon technology knowledge flow, but also indirectly promote the low-carbon technology diffusion by increasing foreign direct investment and human capital. The role of information infrastructure in promoting low-carbon technology knowledge is more obvious in the central and western regions and non-resource-based cities. Finally, in view of the current development situation of low-carbon technology knowledge flows in China, the paper puts forward policy recommendations to vigorously promote the construction of information infrastructure, to gradually increase the network density and the number of network nodes, release the digital economic dividend, and form a spatial pattern of coordinated development of regional knowledge flows.

The geographical dynamics of global R&D collaboration networks in robotics: Evidence from co-patenting activities across urban areas worldwide.

The focus of this study is on the geography of robotics Research and Development (R&D) activities. The objectives are, first, to identify hotspots in robotics R&D worldwide, and second, to characterise structures and dynamics of global robotics R&D collaboration networks through detailed geographical lenses of global urban areas. We use patents as marker for R&D activities, and accordingly focus on technologically oriented R&D, drawing on information from patents applied for between 2002 and 2016. We employ an appropriate search strategy to identify relevant robotics patents based on detailed levels of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) and assign patents to more than 900 global urban areas based on the inventor addresses. The co-patent networks are examined from a Social Network Analysis (SNA) perspective by means of robotics co-patents, contributing to a global network where urban areas are the nodes inter-linked by joint inventive activities recorded in robotics patents. Global SNA measures illustrate structures and dynamics of the network as a whole, while local measures indicate the specific positioning and roles of urban areas in the network. The results are original in characterising the global spatial emergence of this generic new industry, highlighting prominent urban hotspots in terms of specialisation in robotics R&D, pointing to a global shift reflected by the increasing role of emerging economies, in particular China. The global robotics R&D has grown significantly both in total patenting and also in terms of R&D collaboration activities between urban areas. Also, for the networks, growth is not equally distributed, but is rather characterised by significant spatial shifts, both in terms of cities declining or climbing up the specialisation ranking, but even more in terms of the spatial network structure.

Quantifying 30 Years of Technological Innovation in Total Hip Arthroplasty

AbstractTechnological innovation in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a critical component of health care delivery for improving patient outcomes. Analyzing the content of patents and trends in their activity over time can leverage insight into innovations in THA; however, these investigations remain underutilized. We aimed to quantify patent activity and relative growth pertaining to technologies in THA over a 30-year period. A query for patents relating to “hip replacement” or “hip arthroplasty” between 1989 and 2019 using an open-source patent database yielded 24,071 unique patents for analysis. These were grouped into 12 independent technology clusters using Cooperative Patent Classification codes. Annual patent activity for each cluster was normalized with a validated formula to control for exponential growth. The 5-, 10-, and 30-year compound annual growth rates (CAGR) for each cluster were quantified and compared between clusters. Annual cumulative patent activity increased from 151 patents in 1989 to 1,182 patents in 2019, representing a 682.8% increase. The largest technology clusters concerned “drugs” (n = 6,429 patents), “instruments” (n = 4,014 patents), “materials” (n = 2,037 patents), and “components” (n = 1,946 patents). One-half of the identified clusters concerned developments in technology-assisted THA (patient-specific instrumentation, navigation, robotics, design/manufacturing, instruments, and computer modeling). The most rapidly growing technology within the past 5, 10, and 30 years was robotics (CAGR = 15.82%, 20.11%, and 9.50%, respectively). Within the past 5- and 10-year trial prostheses (CAGR = 10.76%) and design/manufacturing processes (CAGR = 10.27%), computer modeling (CAGR = 12.91%) and navigation (CAGR = 11.25%) were among the most rapidly growing clusters, respectively. The majority of patents pertaining to THA over the past 30 years have concerned developments in drugs, instruments, materials, and components. Within the past 10-years, substantial growth has been observed in patent domains related to technology-assisted THA. Monitoring of emerging technologies through patent metrics may provide valuable information for regulatory bodies and assess progress in the field of THA. This is a cross-sectional study with level of evidence IV.

Combining the Analysis of Vertical and Horizontal Technology Convergence: Insights From the Case of Urban Innovation

Technology convergence is “the blurring of boundaries” between many sectors of technologies, resulting in the emergence of several new technologies. This phenomenon has been happening in many fields. While technology convergence has been analyzed often on a horizontal level, the whole landscape of technology movement among and within different system levels is still a question. Answers to this question can lead to an improvement of theory as well as new approaches for practitioners working in this field. We select urban innovation with its complex infrastructure as a test-bed in order to answer the question in a case study. We apply the Cooperative Patent Classification co-classification analysis to the USA patent data related to urban innovation in a systematic view from 1976 to 2018. Our study provides some insights into technology convergence in urban innovation based on the analysis of different system levels (vertical convergence) and within the super-system regarding city infrastructures (horizontal convergence). We find that both types of technology convergence occur in parallel. While some technological movements seem to be related to each other, others do not. This leads to the conclusion that at least in the case of related technology movements, researchers should integrate different system levels in their analysis.

Low-carbon electricity technology transformation in Chinese universities

Purpose With the growing climate problem, it has become a consensus to develop low-carbon technologies to reduce emissions. Electric industry is a major carbon-emitting industry, accounting for 35% of global carbon emissions. Universities, as an important patent application sector in China, promote their patent application and transformation to enhance Chinese technological innovation capability. This study aims to analyze low-carbon electricity technology transformation in Chinese universities. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses IncoPat to collect patent data. The trend of low-carbon electricity technology patent applications in Chinese universities, the status, patent technology distribution, patent transformation status and patent transformation path of valid patent is analyzed. Findings Low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities has been promoted, and the number of patents has shown rapid growth. Invention patents proportion is increasing, and the transformation has become increasingly active. Low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities is mainly concentrated in individual cooperative patent classification (CPC) classification numbers, and innovative technologies will be an important development for electric reduction. Originality/value This paper innovatively uses valid patents to study the development of low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities, and defines low-carbon technology patents by CPC patent classification system. A new attempt focuses on the development status and direction in low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities, and highlights the contribution of valid patents to patent value.

Recent patent applications for coffee and coffee by-products as active ingredients in cosmetics.

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, and its production and consumption generate large amounts of by-products annually. Coffee by-products and coffee beans are rich in bioactive compounds of great commercial value, including potential applications as active ingredients in skin care products and cosmetic formulations. In addition, there has been growing interest in the use of natural ingredients for cosmetic purposes. Considering the importance of coffee in the world economy, its chemical constituents with potential for cosmetic and dermatological application, and the importance of patents for innovation and technological development, the present study aimed to review recent patents involving coffee and coffee by-product use in cosmetics. This review was carried out using Espacenet. The following inclusion criteria were established: patents that included the terms "coffee" and "skin" in the title, abstract and claims and belonged to the classification A61Q, which is related to the "specific use of cosmetics or similar toilet preparations" considering the International Patent Classification (IPC) or Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Considering the 52 patents analysed, the bean was the main way to obtain extracts (39), followed by green beans (7), silverskin (3), peel and pulp (1), pulp (1) and beans and leaves (1). The formulations are mainly intended for use in nonspecific areas of skin (29), eye areas (12), scalp hair (9) and lip skin (2) with claims of anti-ageing, moisturizers, sun protection, hair growth, anti-dandruff, etc. CONCLUSION: Coffee and its residues have high amounts of phenolic compounds, caffeine, fatty acids and other substances known to have important biological properties for the skin. Coffee and its by-products are promising ingredients to be incorporated into topical formulations, ensuring skin health benefits and reducing the environmental impact.

Patent activity in the field of decarbonization technologies

Purpose: the aim of the research is to explore the global trends in the development of the inventive space in the field of decarbonization and to identify the degree of their compliance with the patterns of patent activity in the Russian economy.Methods: patent data for the period 2010–2022, aggregated by the search engines of Rospatent, the World Intellectual Property Organization, Google Patents, Espacenet and Questel Orbit, were used to conduct the research. The analysis of global inventive activity in the field of decarbonization was provided for Class Y02, subclass Y04S and group B09 of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). The analysis of patenting pattern in the Russian economy was performed in accordance with the codes of the IPC Green Inventory. The relative technological advantages of Russia in the development of technologies to achieve carbon neutrality are analyzed on the basis of data from the RTA (Revealed Technology Advantage) index.Results: it was established that the high dynamics of global inventive activity in the field of decarbonization has not yet led to a multiple gap between patents and patent families, which indicates that a large volume of technological developments in the field of carbon neutrality are at relatively early stages of market maturity. It was determined that the leading positions of developers of relevant technological solutions are shifting from Japanese to Chinese and South Korean companies that are actively developing such advanced technological directions as energy storage and its production using alternative sources. Russian copyright holders demonstrate a relatively higher specialization in developments for nuclear power and railway transport systems, unlike foreign representatives. The decarbonization areas represented by domestic developments in the field of alternative energy production are characterized by significantly lower values of RTA index.Conclusions and Relevance: the space of inventive activity in the field of decarbonisation technologies forms the ability to identify and analyse a network of both explicit and non-obvious interrelations of these technologies with developments from other technological fields. This approach determines the possibility of purposeful design interdisciplinary cooperation chains between developers of indirectly correlated technological developments and manufacturers of the end products.

An Evaluation of the Priority Mitigation Technology Needs of Belt and Road Initiative Developing Countries

Climate technology transfer is vital to greening the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and strengthening the BRI cooperative partnership. The major concerns of technology transferrers are to clarify what to transfer and where to transfer. On the basis of technology need assessment reports and the cooperative patent classification system, as well as a set of indicators for measuring urgency and attractiveness, this study identified the priority technology needs of BRI countries from global and regional perspectives. We found that technologies such as photovoltaics, land-use policy measures, and road transportation technologies in the energy, agriculture, and transportation sectors are the priority needs in BRI countries; however, these are not fully recognized by China’s current regional cooperation initiatives. In addition, the regional perspective analysis revealed the urgent need for diverse climate technologies at the regional level. Regional mismatches were also detected between China’s current technology transfer efforts and the BRI countries’ requirements, which may be attributed to the demand-pull and market-driven modes of technology transfer. We suggest that technology transferrers adjust their focus on technology cooperation to reflect the changing needs and regional disparities of BRI countries.

Identifying Trends and Quantifying Growth for Technological Innovation in Knee Arthroplasty: An Analysis of a Patent Database (1990 to 2020).

Technological innovation is the key for surgical progress in knee arthroplasty and improvement in patient outcomes. Exploring patented technologies can help elucidate trends and growth for numerous innovative technologies. However, patent databases, which contain millions of patents, remain underused in arthroplasty research. Therefore, the present study aimed to: (1) quantify patent activity; (2) group patents related to similar technologies into well-defined clusters; and (3) compare growth between technologies in the field of knee arthroplasty over a 30-year period. An open-source international patent database was queried from January 1990 to January 2020 for all patents related to knee arthroplasty A search strategy identified 70,154 patents, of which 24,425 were unique and included analysis. Patents were grouped into 14 independent technology clusters using Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) codes. Patent activity was normalized via a validated formula adjusting for exponential growth. Compound annual growth rates (CAGR) were calculated (5-year, 10-year, and 30-year CAGR) and compared for each cluster. Overall yearly patent activity increased by 2,023%, from 104 patents in 1990 to 2,208 patents in 2020. The largest technology clusters were "drugs" (n = 5,347; 23.8%), "components" (n = 4,343; 19.0%), "instruments" (n = 3,130; 13.7%), and "materials" (n = 2,378; 10.4%). The fastest growing technologies with their 5-year CAGR were: "user interfaces for surgical systems" (58.1%); "robotics" (28.6%); "modularity" (21.1%); "navigation" (15.7%); and "computer modeling" (12.5%). Since 1990, overall patent growth rate has been greatest for "computer modeling" (8.4%), "robotics" (8.0%), "navigation" (7.9%), and "patient-specific instrumentation" (6.4%). Most patents in knee arthroplasty for the last 30 years have focused on drugs, components, instruments, and materials. Recent exponential growth was mainly observed for user interfaces for surgical systems, robotics, modularity, navigation, and computer-assisted technologies. Innovation theory would suggest that these rapidly growing technologies are experiencing high innovation output, increased resource investments, growing adoption by providers, and significant clinical impact. Periodic monitoring of technological innovation via patent databases can be useful to establish trends and future directions in the field of knee arthroplasty.

Components of IGF-axis in growth disorders: a systematic review and patent landscape report.

In this review, epi/genetic mutations of IGF-axis components associated with growth disorders have been summarized alongwith assessment of relevant diagnostic and therapeutic technology through patent literature. PROSPERO protocol registration CRD42021279468. For scientific literature search Literature databases (PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar) were queried using the appropriate syntax. Various filters were applied based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Search results were further refined by two authors for finalizing studies to be included in this synthesis. For patent documents search Patent databases (Patentscope and Espacenet) were queried using keywords: IGF or IGFBP. Filters were applied according to International Patent Classification (IPC) and Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Search results were reviewed by two authors for inclusion in the patent landscape report. For scientific literature analysis, out of 545 search results, 196 were selected for review based on the inclusion criteria. For Patent literature search, out of 485 results, 37 were selected for this synthesis. Dysregulation of IGF-axis components leads to various abnormalities and their key role in growth and development suggests epi/mutations or structural defects among IGF-axis genes can be associated with growth disorders and may explain some of the idiopathic short stature cases. Trend of patent filings indicate advent of recombinant technology for therapeutics.

Technology Network Structure Conditions the Economic Resilience of Regions

abstract This article assesses the network robustness of the technological capability base of 269 European metropolitan areas against the potential elimination of some of their capabilities. By doing so, it provides systematic evidence on how network robustness conditioned the economic resilience of these regions in the context of the 2008 economic crisis. The analysis concerns calls in the relevant literature for more in-depth analysis on the link between regional economic network structures and the resilience of regions to economic shocks. By adopting a network science approach that is novel to economic geographic inquiry, the objective is to stress test the technological resilience of regions by utilizing information on the coclassification of CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) classes listed on European Patent Office patent documents. We find that European metropolitan areas show heterogeneous levels of technology network robustness. Further findings from regression analysis indicate that metropolitan regions with a more robust technological knowledge network structure exhibit higher levels of resilience with respect to changes in employment rates. This finding is robust to various random and targeted elimination strategies concerning the most frequently combined technological capabilities. Regions with high levels of employment in industry but with a vulnerable technological capacity base are particularly challenged by this aspect of regional economic resilience.

Patenting in 4IR technologies and firm performance

Abstract We investigate whether firm performance is related to the accumulated stock of technological knowledge associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and, if so, whether the firm’s history in 4IR technology development affects such a relationship. We exploit a rich longitudinal matched patent-firm data set on the population of large firms that filed 4IR patents at the European Patent Office (EPO) between 2009 and 2014, while reconstructing their patent stocks from 1985 onward. To identify 4IR patents, we use a novel two-step procedure proposed by EPO (2020, Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Global Technology Trends Enabling the Data-Driven Economy, European Patent Office), based on Cooperative Patent Classification codes and on a full-text patent search. Our results show a positive and significant relationship between firms’ stocks of 4IR patents and labor and total factor productivity. We also find that firms with a long history in 4IR patent filings benefit more from the development of 4IR technological capabilities than later applicants. Conversely, we find that firm profitability is not significantly related to the stock of 4IR patents, which suggests that the returns from 4IR technological developments may be slow to be cashed in. Finally, we find that the positive relationship with productivity is stronger for 4IR-related wireless technology and for artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, and big data analytics.

Technologies Applied to Wood Heat Treatments, a Review

Heat treatments are carried out on the wood to modify the hygroscopic properties and its dimensional stability. This allows low-grade wood to be used in exposed applications. This document provides a systematized bibliographic review related to the available technologies that allow heat treatment of wood. For this, scientific databases were consulted where previous studies with high temperature drying were found that served as the basis for the development of technologies that are used today. Patent databases were also consulted making the systematic use of the International Patent Classification (IPC) and Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), the most promising codes were selected according to the histogram analysis. Finally, a marked trend was observed in recent years in the study and development of heat treatments applied to different timber species.

Trends in Surgical Patents Held by Surgeons From 1993 to 2018.

This study aims to quantify the number of patent-holding surgeons and determine their specialty demographics. The number of intellectual property filings related to surgery has exponentially increased over the past 40 years, yet surgeon inventor status among these inventions remains poorly defined. A query of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Full-Text and Image Database was performed over the years 1993 to 2018. Patents related to surgery were defined as surgical devices, implantables, dressings, introducers, and sterilization equipment based on Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) code. Inventor names were cross-indexed with names of active Fellows in the American College of Surgeons (FACS) as of 2019. Surgeon inventors were identified and differences between specialty and sex were evaluated. A total of 275,260 patents related to surgery were issued over the study period. The number of surgical patents has increased by 462% from 4593 per year to 21,241 per year. A total of 9008 patents were held by a total of 2164 surgeons (4% of FACS). This represents 3.3% of all surgical patents with a mean of 5 patents (range 1-346) per patent-holding surgeon. Specialties with the largest number of patent holders include neurosurgery (9%) and orthopedic surgery (8%). Ninety-seven percent of patent-holding surgeons were male. 3.3% of patents related to surgery involve a surgeon inventor, and although the number of surgical patents has shown an exponential increase, surgeon involvement in these inventions has grown minimally. Surgical innovation training may offer an opportunity to reduce these discrepancies and increase surgeon involvement as patent holders.

Applications of venom biodiversity in agriculture

Agriculture can benefit from the biotechnological use of animal venom biodiversity. We explored the patent database to find the prevailing applications of scorpion, snake, spider, bee, and wasp venoms for agricultural purposes. We searched for patents registered worldwide using the keywords “animal species” AND “venom” associated with the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, based on Google Patents by November 2020. The results indicate an increasing frequency in patents related to animal venoms. Scorpion, snake, and wasp appeared most frequently, besides other species. The inventors concentrate on two subclasses, namely new plant varieties development (A01H) and biopesticides (A01N). Monsanto and other giant agricultural and biotechnology companies lead the list in the number of patents. New varieties of crops, like soybean, corn, cotton, rice, and wheat, are the most frequent inventions. The benefits of using natural venoms in insect-resistant plant varieties and biopesticides are pertinent to agriculture, the environment, and human health.