Patent data as a guide to industrial activity |
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| Authors: | WD Reekie |
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| Institution: | Department of Business Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland |
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| Abstract: | In this paper the patenting activity of the international pharmaceutical industry in London between 1900 and 1966 is analysed. Although patent data as a measure of industrial activity is not without defects it can be used both as an adjunct to and as a surrogate for more conventional yardsticks such as concentration ratios, sales statistics and so on. The results indicate that patenting activity can be used as both an absolute and relative indicator of an industry's pace of technological change. They help pinpoint the international distribution of pharmaceutical research and development. If analysed by product or process they can aid in the understanding of why an industry's competitive behaviour is or is not primarily one of price rivalry. Finally, they illustrate the continuing role of the individual inventor. |
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