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  • Do Patents Drive Investment in Software? A Spotlight on the Impact of Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International

    In the world of software startups, patents are often seen as a golden ticket to securing investment. But do they really hold that much sway? A recent study by James Hicks looks into this question, focusing on the impact of a landmark Supreme Court decision, Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, on software patents and investments.

    The study found that patents on certain types of software did not necessarily increase investment and other positive business outcomes. The findings encourage us to look more closely at when patents are needed to protect intellectual property.

    What is the Alice decision?

    The Alice decision changed the criteria for software inventions to be eligible for patents. The case involved an electronic service that implemented financial trading systems. The Alice ruling stated that the service was based on an abstract idea, and therefore was not patentable. In practice, businesses applied this principle to any software involving business methods, which led to a dramatic drop in investment in this type of patent.

    Despite this, Hicks' study found no evidence that this drop in the number of patents led to less early-stage venture capital investment or affected outcomes such as acquisitions and initial public offerings (IPOs).

    The results indicated that patents may not be necessary for investment in the software industry. While patents are needed to protect certain types of intellectual property, these findings suggest that we may need to take another look at the value of patents in other areas.

    PatentsView Data: Unraveling the Relationship

    The study used data from PatentsView to identify companies that applied for patents and compare the number of patents with investment in the same company. This helped researchers understand the impact of the Alice decision on patent approval and subsequent investment in business-methods software firms. The results indicate that patents did not have a discernible effect on funding or successful outcomes in the software industry.

    Reevaluating the Role of Patents in Software Innovation

    The relationship between patents and investment in innovation is complex. This study suggests that the costs of obtaining patents may not always justify the benefits and invites more research into understanding when patents add value to a business. PatentsView data can help future researchers highlight connections and provide insight that will help inventors and businesses make better decisions about their intellectual property.

    Disclaimer: This post was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

  • Discovering value: women’s participation in university and commercial AI invention

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making waves in every corner of the world, and women are playing a significant role in this revolution, especially in the field of biotechnology AI, according to a recent study published in Nature. The study, titled Discovering value: women’s participation in university and commercial AI invention, used PatentsView data to identify the gender of inventors before using World Intellectual Property Organization categories to determine which patents contain AI. 

    It was written by Alexander Giczy, Nicholas Pairolero, and Andrew Toole.

    More Women are Participating in AI Innovation

    The study found that women are making significant contributions to AI innovation, but there is still work to be done to ensure that people from many different backgrounds are participating in the development of AI.

    The authors analyzed the women as inventors rate (WIR), which is a measure of the number and share of people receiving patents who are women. They found that the overall number of women inventors who received AI-related patents has increased from around 500 per year in 1995 to around 9,000 in 2020. The WIR for AI inventions increased from 10.1% to 12.6% in the same time frame.

    “These results show that women are not only participating in AI invention but are doing so at a slightly higher rate than in non-AI technologies,” the authors said in the study.

    They found differences in the AI WIR based on sector (e.g., AI and biotechnology), and whether the inventors worked for companies or universities.

    The Value of Women Inventors

    The authors noted research showing that diverse teams are more likely to improve innovation and business performance by looking at problems from different perspectives. Testing that theory, they found that teams with a higher proportion of women tended to be associated with higher economic value of granted patents. 

    “While such an analysis does not imply causation, the value of the patent is higher for teams with relatively more women: a patent with an equal number of male and female inventors has a value approximately $1.038 million higher than a patent with all-male inventors,” the authors said in the study.

    How PatentsView Can Help

    This study contributes to a growing body of research that shows how important diversity is for innovation and emerging technologies. To thrive and grow in the future, everyone must be able to participate in innovation and patenting, regardless of their background. Tools like PatentsView can help us track our progress and identify areas where we can improve.

    You can explore more on this topic on PatentsView’s Gender & Innovation and AI & Innovation pages.

  • What’s New with PatentsView – March 2024

    The PatentsView team is always working to make our data more complete, more accurate, and more useful. Recently, we completed a validation process of our assignee disambiguation algorithm. We created large, updated, ground truth dataset to calculate a current view of the performance of our assignee disambiguation algorithms.

    This blog highlights our continued commitment to assignee disambiguation validation by detailing the process we went through to build a hand-labeled ground truth dataset, the python packages and metrics used in assignee validation, and by openly disclosing results and their statistical significance. 

    Why is evaluation important?

    Model evaluation is important because it allows us to be publicly transparent about the performance of our disambiguated data, identify situations where our model does not perform as well as it could, and to make changes to improve overall performance.  We validate our assignee disambiguation algorithm by estimating key performance metrics, like precision and recall, that summarize its accuracy. 

    Assignee Labeling Process

    Estimating the performance of our disambiguation algorithm requires benchmarking data: some “ground truth” against which we can compare our predictions and assess the quality of our disambiguation. There are two main types of ground truth data used to evaluate entity resolution algorithms. 

    The first type is partially resolved entities, which consists of examples of matching entity mentions (e.g., an example of assignees from two patents, like “Microsoft” and “Microsoft Corp.” that we know refer to the same organization), as well as examples of non-matching entities (e.g., “Microcorp” and “Microsoft”), which upon research of company location and services offered, we know are two separate companies. 

    The second type of ground truth data is fully resolved entities. In this case, we find all patents for which Microsoft is an assignee and use that as complete ground truth for evaluation. We demonstrate how we cluster entities, such as all instances of “Microsoft,” to create our ground truth in the remaining paragraphs of this section.

    Our evaluation process focuses on the second type of data, fully resolved entities, because this method provides more robust statistical outputs. We employed three data labelers for over 100 combined hours to resolve the entities of over 250 randomly selected assignee mentions. To maximize the accuracy of the ground truth labels we created, that is groupings of rawassignees that are mentions of the same organization, we broke the process down into two main parts: (a) finding everything that could be a related entity and then (b) removing unlike assignees based on greater rawassignee detail.

    In step (a) finding everything that could be a related entity, for each assignee, we compared the assignee reference (organization name or first/last name) with hundreds of similar names in our database. This was done by the hand-labelers using a custom-made Streamlit application, which we designed to be both a query and data augmentation tool. Labelers pulled similar assignees by testing various potential name representations – name shortenings, abbreviations, potential misspellings, etc. – in Streamlit and saving the results. Streamlit then augmented the saved results from the labeler search by adding previous clusters (prior disambiguation result) that were associated with one or more of the rawassignees found by the labeler and were not previously included. 

    For step (b) removing unlike assignees based on greater rawassignee detail, hand-labelers reviewed the saved cluster output from step (a). The saved cluster data contained additional information about the rawassignee, including the associated patent, patent type, CPC classification, and location. Using filters, sorting, or any resource necessary, labelers carefully inspected all types of assignee data which could prove useful to remove any rawassignee mentions that should not be included in the final cluster. Dependent on the size of clusters, manual review could take between two minutes and an hour.

    Evaluation Packages – Written for PV

    PatentsView estimates performance metrics in a transparent manner using open-source entity resolution evaluation software. The functions are called in this location from our PatentsView-DB repository. We leverage two repositories; ER-Evaluation for the pairwise precision and recall metric functions and PatentsView-Evaluation to upload the relevant benchmark datasets (Binette & Reiter, 2023,1). You can find more technical details about this process in the documentation and code linked in this section.

    Statistical Significance

    Precision and recall are standard metrics in evaluating entity resolution and a detailed discussion about those metrics can be found in our last evaluation report (Monath, et al, 2021, 15). Based on the newest PatentsView Ground Truth labeled data, the latest data update achieved a precision of .90 and a recall of .72. This indicates that we are more likely to leave a rawassignee record[1] out of a cluster (False Negative) than erroneously include an additional record into a cluster (False Positive). 

    Precision and recall are calculated on an entity level evaluating the results of the most recent assignee disambiguation algorithm for the 228 assignee clusters, where we have ground truth data. See our last evaluation report for a more detailed explanation on the difference of entity-level versus rawassignee record level evaluation (Monath, 2021, 16-17). A standard deviation of around 4% for both of our estimates can be interpreted as 4% variability around the estimate – meaning that there is an approximately 68% likelihood that the true (population) precision is between 0.8604 to 0.9400, and that recall is between 0.6839 to 0.7699. This team believes that 4% variability is a narrow enough range for confidence in these evaluation metrics. 

    Metric

    Estimate

    Standard Deviation

    Precision

    0.900

    0.040

    Recall

    0.727

    0.043

    F1

    0.804

     

     

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, the recent advancements in PatentsView, particularly concerning the validation of assignee disambiguation algorithms, signify a steadfast commitment to data accuracy and transparency. Through meticulous evaluation processes and the creation of comprehensive ground truth datasets, we ensure quality of our disambiguated data.

    By employing multiple data labelers and leveraging sophisticated evaluation packages, such as ER-Evaluation and PatentsView-Evaluation, metrics like precision and recall are estimated, shedding light on the algorithm's performance.

    The latest update boasts an impressive precision of 0.90 and a recall of 0.727, indicating a high level of accuracy in entity resolution. These efforts underscore PatentsView's unwavering dedication to providing users with high-quality disambiguated assignee data and our commitment to transparency to our users in our processes and our work.

    Citations

    Binette, O., & Reiter, J. P. (2023). ER-Evaluation: End-to-End Evaluation of Entity Resolution Systems. The Journal of Open-Source Softwarehttps://joss.theoj.org/papers/10.21105/joss.05619.pdf

    Monath, N., Jones, C., & Madhavan, S. (2021, July). PatentsView: Disambiguating Inventors, Assignees, and Locations. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/data.patentsview.org/documents/PatentsView_Disambiguation_Methods_Documentation.pdf 

     

    [1] PatentsView defined a “rawassignee record” as every mention of an assignee found on all granted patents and patent applications

  • A Systematic Patent Review of Connected Vehicle Technology Trends

    PatentsView provides researchers, inventors, and others with easy-to-use patent data and award-winning visualizations. This data helps people to discover trends, identify gaps, and recommend policy changes to improve patent and intellectual property systems. As the platform’s popularity grows, people are finding new ways to manipulate and analyze PatentsView data to achieve their goals.

    For instance, author Raj Bridgelall used PatentsView data to conduct a systematic patent review (SPR) to analyze the how innovation was advancing in the field of transportation in a recent Future Transportation article titled “A Systematic Patent Review of Connected Vehicle Technology Trends.” Specifically, the review found that patents related to vehicle deployments were focused in the areas of improving safety and secure wireless communications.

    What is SPR?

    SPR is a methodological framework that Bridgelall adapted from the systematic literature review (SLR) method. In the paper, he says that “SPR offers detailed insights into both the thematic and temporal trajectories of innovation in any technology field.”

    The SPR borrows from the SLR framework in its method of collecting data, selecting relevant information for analysis, and analyzing and interpreting the data with key themes and a focused objective in mind. However, where SLR typically centers qualitative methods to analyze titles and abstracts, SPR also incorporates a quantitative approach that relies on how frequently specific terms are used.

    Bridgelall used PatentsView data, among other sources, to identify 220 U.S. patents from 2018-2022 related to automotive technology. His review separated them into categories, such as computing resources, cyber security, and driving safety. He found that patents are increasingly focused on driving safety and wireless communications, which he said, “aligns with broader goals of enhancing safety and situational awareness in transportation.”

    The Benefits of SPR

    In the paper, Bridgelall writes that most studies related to innovation in automotive technology are focused on technological aspects of the work and practical applications. His review provides a broader analysis that he says will help researchers identify gaps in the existing research and pinpoint areas for potential future innovation.

    This research can also help policymakers understand where changes in policy and standardization might have an impact on the field. For instance, Bridgelall highlighted a 2020 move by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that repurposed a large portion of a safety band dedicated to vehicle use. Bridgelall said that doing so caused uncertainty and stalled investments in connected vehicle technology, which has “the potential to reduce accidents, optimize traffic flow, and enhance the driving experience by communicating with each other (V2V) and with everything else (V2X).”

    He hopes that his introduction of the SPR methodology will lay the groundwork for future research by himself and others to expand upon his analysis and identify international and long-term trends.

    You can download the full paper on mdpi.com using the link above.

  • What Can PatentsView Do for You?

    PatentsView was launched in 2017 to help people access, understand, and use patent data in their research. The award-winning data visualizations shed light on trends and can show how inventors and innovation have changed since 1976, and the bulk data downloads, API tool, and community collaborative can let you dig deeper into patents data.

    People have recently used PatentsView data to explore the gender of inventors and how that balance has changed over time. They have looked at patent data to better understand innovation in Latin America, and they have mapped skill-relatedness networks to get a better idea about how the economy is evolving.

    Using PatentsView data

    Do you have a question about patents, innovation, inventors, or technology? PatentsView gives you several options to access and analyze its data.

    1. Patent Visualizations: A collection of charts and graphs to  explore patent data in an accessible format. The visualization tools allow the user to search for keywords, filter by location, make comparisons by attribute, and view a network of patents that shows a big picture.
    2. Community Collaborative: A moderated community that offers collaborative spaces, such as a discussion forum and the Data in Action Spotlight. The Data   in Action Spotlight is a blog featuring information about research done with PatentsView data and tools, updates to the PatentsView site, relevant events, and more.
    3. PatentSearch API: PatentSearch API allows software developers and researchers to work with our data within their local environment. Documentation is available on the PatentSearch API reference page for PatentSearch API as well as its query language and a list of specialized endpoints to search and filter the data. 
    4. Data Query Builder: A user-friendly query builder interface to allow users to create their own datasets based on specific search criteria. The query builder is distinct from the API Tool. The final dataset from any customized query is made available by providing a link sent to the user's email address. NOTE: At the time of posting, The Query Builder tool is currently down and unable to send requested data to your email address. Until it is back online, please refer to our service desk to inquire about customized data requests.
    5. Bulk Data Download: A page that provides the data used to create the website and its visualizations. It is split into various tables that contain raw, disambiguated, or processed data. The page also provides example Python and R scripts meant to assist with reading the data after they have downloaded.

    Updates and Improvements

    The PatentsView team is constantly adding new patent data, improving functionality, and fixing bugs and errors. For instance, PatentsView recently released data through September 30, 2023, and is working on a new data release in March.

    Earlier this year, the team implemented a new gender attribution algorithm, and updated the location standardization process. Visit the release notes page for a full list of updates and improvements over time.

    We Want to Hear from You

    Many of these improvements were spurred by user suggestions and questions. Your exploration of the data and reporting of discrepancies and errors helps support our team to return the highest quality data to the public.

    Please contact our service desk with any data questions and suggestions you may have, including Data in Action Spotlight post ideas. Let us know if you have recently published a paper or given a presentation based on PatentsView data or if you have an upcoming event that uses PatentsView in some way.

    To receive regular updates on what the PatentsView team is working on, subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter.

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