Running ahead in the nanotechnology gold rush. Strategic patenting in emerging technologies

This paper provides theoretical and empirical contributions on how patent scope varies over time and by type of applicants in the initial phases of an emerging technology. We refer to the literature on technology life-cycles and on appropriability regimes in order to study the evolution of patent scope - as measured by the number of claims - in the specific case of nanotechnology. Our regression analyses, based on a sample of 58,244 nanotech US patents, show that - once time, sector and firm effects are controlled for - patent scope decreases over the subsequent phases of the technology life-cycle. Moreover, we find that university nanotech patents tend to be characterized by a broader scope than other patents. We conclude by discussing the managerial and policy implications of our empirical results.