Research and reports

This report updates the USPTO’s 2019 report on U.S. women inventor-patentees, “Progress and Potential,” using three years of new data, covering 2017 through 2019. It provides new information on women’s participation in the U.S. patent system, finding, among other things, that women make up an increasing share of all new entrants to the patent system, rising from about 5% of new inventor-patentees in 1980 to 17.3% by 2019. Innovation Council supports efforts to collect data on participation by minorities in IP systems. Data collection is the first step towards policymaking to support better access for minorities, including but not only women, to IP tools they can use to grow their businesses.

The World Intellectual Property Report 2017 and Economic Research Working Paper No. 41 examine the crucial role of intangibles such as technology, design and branding in international manufacturing. The WIPO 2017 report examines global value chains for three products – coffee, photovoltaic energy cells, and smartphones. The Working Paper uses data on individual smartphones as well as industry data to identify which smartphone firms capture the most value.

This report reveals trends in patenting of artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, the top players in AI from industry and academia, and the geographical distribution of AI-related patent protection and scientific publications. Its findings are accompanied throughout by commentary and industry perspectives from more than 20 of the world’s leading experts in AI, making it of particular interest to business leaders, researchers, and policymakers.

The Global Innovation Forum is a nonprofit startup that connects entrepreneur, small business, corporate, development, and university communities with policymakers to explore the opportunities and challenges of engaging in the global marketplace.

This 2014 paper by Doug Lippoldt and Mark Schultz presents information about trade secrets protection, management, and role in innovation. The authors recommend actions that policymakers can take to improve trade secrets regimes. The paper was published as part of the E15 initiative of ICTSD. Although old, the analysis is still relevant to those interested in understanding trade secrets.

Innovative SMEs are important drivers of economic growth, job creation, and innovation in every country.  These case studies from the EPO demonstrate how European SMEs, across sectors and countries, leverage IP rights for growth. It also highlights the challenges they face in securing, enforcing, and effectively managing their IP rights.

The EU and United States publish reports about IP protection and enforcement challenges faced by their innovators in different markets. These reports are considered by some to be controversial, for the types of IP issues they raise and for giving rise to some political discomfort.  The reports play a key role in signalling challenges that IP owners – whether trademark, copyright, patent, or trade secrets owners – report around the world, so they can be evaluated and addressed in policy discussions and negotiations.