Exploring the patent transaction market from Social Network Analysis perspective -The Case of TFT-LCD Industry

[[abstract]]本研究以薄膜電晶體液晶顯示器產業為例，從USPTO資料庫蒐集了自1976年至2012年的薄膜電晶體液晶顯示器相關專利資料，透過社會網絡分析探討專利交易市場網絡，隨時間演進在各個階段的形態變化，並分別從網絡的總體層面、群體層面以及個體層面探討網絡形態、以及廠商間的組成結構和相對位置的變化情形。 研究結果發現，專利交易網絡的組成與專利引證網絡不同，是結構鬆散、相當離散而且分佈極端的網絡，而隨著產業發展和市場規模擴張，廠商間的合作形態仍會維持固定的模式，最後從市場中中介者的增加及影響技術流動能力的提升獲致結論：薄膜電晶體液晶顯示器專利交易已成為一個成熟的技術市場。在釐清產業及市場發展階段以及廠商在網絡中的相對位置和角色後，可以提供廠商在擬訂企業策略的方向以及尋找合作夥伴的參考，以加速廠商間傳遞資源的效率。[[abstract]]This paper researches on the TFT-LCD industry, and TFT-LCD related patents: from 1976 to 2012 from USPTO. We research onto the change of the transaction market network of patents through different phases. Furthermore, we look into the change of network structure, the interaction between industries and their relative position in the whole network, cohesion network, as well as the individual industry’s perspective. The research finds that the patent transaction network is different from patent citation network； the former is friable and scattered and finds out that with the extended scales of industries and markets, the interaction of industries sticks to certain patterns. The research concludes that the TFT-LCD patent transaction market is getting more mature by the increasing numbers of mediators and also the influence of the technology development. We differentiate the phases of industry development and market, as well as the relative positions and roles of industries in the network. The research results help industries to develop their strategies and to find potential partners, and moreover to accelerate the speed of resources transferring.[[note]]碩