The Value of Chinese Patenting

Chapter 8 investigates the rapid growth of patenting in an emerging geographical area such as China, which has experienced several institutional changes with respect to the increasing strength of the national legislation on patent protection. Relying on several patent value indicators, an econometric model is built up in order to analyse patent granting, prior-art searches, opposition to patents granted, and renewal decisions of patent maintenance according to the demographic characteristics of the patentees and their geographic origin: Domestic firms performing indigenous R&D activities in China, foreign multinational firms off-shoring R&D activities in China, and Chinese firms employing foreign inventors