Reports
Discussion Papers
No.527 PATSTAT revisited
by Gianluca Tarasconi and Byeongwoo Kang
April 2015
ABSTRACT
This
study
provides
a
comprehensive
summary
of
and
guidance
for
using
the
EPO
Worldwide
Patent
Statistical
Database
(PATSTAT),
one
of
the
most
widely
used
patent
databases
for
researchers.
We
highlight
the
three
most
important
issues
that
PATSTAT
users
must
consider
when
performing
patent
data
analyses
and
suggest
ways
to
deal
with
those
issues.
Although
PATSTAT
is
chosen
in
this
study,
the
issues
that
we
discuss
are
also
applicable
to
other
patent
databases.
Keywords:
PATSTAT,
patent
data
analysis,
innovation
studies
JEL
classification:
O39,
Y20,
Z00
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.