Title: Global patent filing strategies: an application of multi-criteria decision-making model

Authors: Nien-Chu Wu, Hsiao-Cheng Yu, Tenpao Lee

Addresses: Institute of Management of Technology NCTU, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, ROC. ' Institute of Management of Technology NCTU, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, ROC. ' Department of Commerce, Niagara University, NY 14109, USA

Abstract: This paper adopts the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model to study global patent filing strategies of Taiwanese companies in seven targeted countries – USA, China, Japan, UK, Sweden, Germany, and Taiwan. Ten criteria were identified and classified into four first tier criteria through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The opinions of 29 experts, with engineering, marketing, and academia backgrounds, were surveyed. Patent filing of Micro Gas Turbine (MGT) technologies was selected as an exemplified case for this study. The results indicated that the USA was ranked #1 in MGT|s patent filing priority, followed by Japan, Taiwan, Germany, UK, Sweden, and China. The first tier marketing consideration had the highest weight value of 40.7%, followed by legal consideration (31.5%), management consideration (18.4%), and R&D consideration (9.4%). Out of the ten second-tier evaluation criteria, patent protection and enforcement had the highest weight of 20.11%. The duration of a patent had the least weight of 4.69%. The policy implications, strategies, negotiation guidelines, and R&D investments for global patent filing were discussed.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process; AHP; commoditisation; global patent filing; multicriteria decision making; MCDM model; outsourcing; intellectual property management; Taiwan; Taiwanese companies; micro gas turbines; R&D investment; research and development; policy; negotiation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIPM.2007.013556

International Journal of Intellectual Property Management, 2007 Vol.1 No.3, pp.226 - 240

Published online: 04 May 2007 *

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