The Polyglot Patent Boom: SciAm

I knew that a polyglot was a person who spoke many languages, but wasn't sure how it applied to patents. According to Merriam-Webster, the second definition of 'polyglot' is, "a book containing versions of the same text in several languages." The multilingual person is definition number one. Scientific American magazine (October 2013) ran an article titled, "The Polyglot Patent Boom" that discusses how the number of U.S. patents awarded to assignees in multiple countries is - and has been for a while - on the rise. A look at the thumbnail of the stacked chart included in the article illustrates the phenomenon. It begins on the left in 1985 and terminates on the right at 2010, and shows U.S. patents awarded with at least one assignee being a citizen of China. Orange, red, and purple portions (61% of total) are purely Chinese invented. Authors Branstetter, Li, and Veloso attribute China's rapid rise relative to other Asian countries to being more open to foreign companies entering the country, China's vast physical size and human resources (workers), and it being at a time when the Internet facilitated collaboration [and ahem, espionage... my comment] between design and production partners of other nations. The situation does not apply only to China, but they are by far the largest country represented.

To read the full article, you will need a subscription since SciAm does not allow full open access. Another option is to check out a copy from your local Public Library.

Posted September 30, 2013

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