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This paper reviews the methods and findings of studies surveying inventors on nationally representative sample of patents or patent applications. These studies show that the most common inventor is a middle-aged man with a postgraduate qualification, with women representing only 0.4% to 3.5% of inventors. They demonstrate that 43% to 68% of granted patents become innovations (52% on average). Despite such findings this body of work has only been cited 61 times in scientific journals. Thus, surveys of inventors provide good insights into the process of commercialising patents and yet are an underutilised method especially within the literature on innovation.

This paper reviews the methods and findings of studies surveying inventors on nationally representative sample of patents or patent applications. These studies show that the most common inventor is a middle-aged man with a postgraduate qualification, with women representing only 0.4% to 3.5% of inventors. They demonstrate that 43% to 68% of granted patents become innovations (52% on average). Despite such findings this body of work has only been cited 61 times in scientific journals. Thus, surveys of inventors provide good insights into the process of commercialising patents and yet are an underutilised method especially within the literature on innovation.

This paper examines the relationship between the antitrust environment and innovation in the US economy, where innovation is measured by patent activity. The hypothesis to be tested is whether antitrust enforcement activity, as measured by the number of civil filings of the US Department of Justice, has had a significant impact on the level of innovation in the US economy, after adjusting for other factors that have an impact on innovation, such as research and development expenditures and real economic growth. Impacts of civil antitrust case filings, criminal antitrust case filings and total US Department of Justice antitrust case filings on patent activity in the USA are estimated for the period 1953-2000. The empirical results show that civil case filings have a statistically significant impact on innovation.

This paper examines the relationship between the antitrust environment and innovation in the US economy, where innovation is measured by patent activity. The hypothesis to be tested is whether antitrust enforcement activity, as measured by the number of civil filings of the US Department of Justice, has had a significant impact on the level of innovation in the US economy, after adjusting for other factors that have an impact on innovation, such as research and development expenditures and real economic growth. Impacts of civil antitrust case filings, criminal antitrust case filings and total US Department of Justice antitrust case filings on patent activity in the USA are estimated for the period 1953-2000. The empirical results show that civil case filings have a statistically significant impact on innovation.

The paper analyses the asymmetric volatility of patents related to pollution prevention and abatement (hereafter, anti-pollution) technologies registered in the USA. Ecological and pollution prevention technology patents have increased steadily over time, with the 1990's having been a period of intensive patenting of technologies related to the environment. The time-varying nature of the volatility of anti-pollution technology patents registered in the USA is examined using monthly data from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the period January 1975 to December 1999. Alternative symmetric and asymmetric volatility models, such as GARCH, GJR and EGARCH, are estimated and tested against each other using full sample and rolling windows estimation.

The paper analyses the asymmetric volatility of patents related to pollution prevention and abatement (hereafter, anti-pollution) technologies registered in the USA. Ecological and pollution prevention technology patents have increased steadily over time, with the 1990's having been a period of intensive patenting of technologies related to the environment. The time-varying nature of the volatility of anti-pollution technology patents registered in the USA is examined using monthly data from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the period January 1975 to December 1999. Alternative symmetric and asymmetric volatility models, such as GARCH, GJR and EGARCH, are estimated and tested against each other using full sample and rolling windows estimation.

This paper analyses trends and volatility in patenting in USA by Japan in the electronics/electrical and motor vehicle/transport epuiqment industries. The number of patents has increased steadily, with the two industries accounting in 1997 for one-half of Japanese patents in USA. The electronics/electrical industry has been a much stronger performer, with a share of 30% of US patents, compared with 20% for motor vehicle/transport epuiqment. Using monthly data for 1975-1997, the time-varying nature of the volatility of patents registered in the USA is examined. The asymmetric AR(1)-GJR(1,1) model is found to be suitable for motor vehicle/transport epuiqment, whereas the AR(1)-GARCH(1,1,) and AR(1)-GJR(1,1) models provide interesting results for electronics/electrical.

This paper analyses trends and volatility in patenting in USA by Japan in the electronics/electrical and motor vehicle/transport epuiqment industries. The number of patents has increased steadily, with the two industries accounting in 1997 for one-half of Japanese patents in USA. The electronics/electrical industry has been a much stronger performer, with a share of 30% of US patents, compared with 20% for motor vehicle/transport epuiqment. Using monthly data for 1975-1997, the time-varying nature of the volatility of patents registered in the USA is examined. The asymmetric AR(1)-GJR(1,1) model is found to be suitable for motor vehicle/transport epuiqment, whereas the AR(1)-GARCH(1,1,) and AR(1)-GJR(1,1) models provide interesting results for electronics/electrical.