Title: Analysis of internet patents on methods of electronic business

Authors: Biju Paul Abraham, Soumyo D. Moitra

Addresses: Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Joka, Diamond Harbour Road, Calcutta 700 104, India. ' Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Joka, Diamond Harbour Road, Calcutta 700 104, India

Abstract: This paper analyses patent applications for methods of electronic business as this analysis is important for firms involved in internet commerce. The contents of WIPO patent applications were examined to see the relationships between the underlying technology of the patent, its business application and the potential markets where these patents were sought. For this, classification schemes for the technology and business application of the patent were developed. We find that there is a distinct relationship between country of origin of the patent, the cluster of countries (i.e., markets) designated in the application as well as the business application and technology of the patent. The cluster of countries designated and its business application and technology type were also related to the type of applicant. Further, the business application of the patent was closely related to its technology. These results have several important implications for patenting strategies of innovators.

Keywords: internet patents; e-business methods; electronic business; patents data; WIPO; World Intellectual Property Organization; patent applications; e-commerce; electronic commerce; innovation; patenting strategies.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2005.008518

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2005 Vol.3 No.5, pp.427 - 446

Published online: 28 Dec 2005 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article