Patent statistics as indicators of competition an analysis of patenting in biotechnology

Numbers of patents cannot indicate the state of research or the contents of patent documentation cannot indicate the true technological features achieved. Patent statistics though so used, is not a good indicator of the economic returns to investments in research. Use of this statistics for understanding the degree of competition and the competition-driven research strategy is attractive. A patent document is part of the public knowledge in such a way as to restrict the growth of the future public knowledge. This portent on the future content of research and on the number and areas of research, by a current application is a competition-defining aspect. This effect on the lagged future applications and accepting patent disclosure as an intentional strategic data - are the most significant characteristics of patent statistics. The present paper applied this understanding, and generated a number of indices derived from data bases on patenting. These are indicators on Competition,Technology Pool, Language Technology Pool, Modified Competition, Market Attractiveness and on the Strength of Patent Market. Values of these indicators for biotechnological research and for several countries have been derived as example.