Changing nature of patents in Australia

Abstract

The past decades have seen substantial changes to the innovation system of major economies, not the least due to a paradigm shift caused by the digital revolution. Whether smaller advanced economies such as Australia went through a similar shift or moved to fill the void left by other countries is unclear. I use Australian patent data and show that here has been a similar surge in patenting mainly driven by medical and digital technologies. Australia, however, is showing more strength in a few niche areas. At the same time, the scope of patents, as one measure of basicness, narrowed over the years. This move was driven by private companies opting for applied research and also refocusing their innovation efforts away from chemical and material technologies and onto digital technologies and other applied areas. Show more