Patent gap—a case study of Czech biotechnology companies

The publication addresses the problem of the patent gap from a regional perspective. For the purposes of the publication, it is understood as the time difference between the inventions of Czech companies and technologically advanced solutions patented by the foreign companies. The patent gap problem is particularly important in the field of biotechnology, which is characterized by high dynamics and compatibility of entities’ inventive activity. It is therefore important that the absorption and diffusion of knowledge necessary for its implementation proceed quickly and at a similar level. The aim of the article is to determine the degree of patent gap between the inventions of Czech biotechnology companies and patented solutions of foreign entities. The research method used for the purpose of this article is the method of patent citation analysis. It consists of quantitative and qualitative analysis of patent citations, i.e. references contained in the technical documentation, and more precisely relation between the description of a new invention and previously known technical solutions, or the source literature. For the purpose of the research, it was assumed that the shorter the time elapsed between the release of a solution or publication and their citation in another patented invention, the smaller the degree of patent gap. The Espacenet patent information database was used as a source for obtaining the necessary technical documentation of inventions. The research results lead to the following conclusions. First, they point to a significant geographical diversification of the sources for obtaining technical knowledge—Czech biotechnological companies use both domestic and foreign solutions in developing inventions. Secondly, they suggest a high degree of internationalization, as to a large extent the basis for patented inventions involves foreign solutions. Thirdly, the observed patent gap is the strongest in the case of the scientific research results and the knowledge contained in the technical documentation of domestic and American companies’ inventions. However, these inventions have to be entered in the WO patent database. The research results also indicate that using external sources of technical knowledge requires not only the creation of appropriate technical potential (research and commercial infrastructure), but also the time necessary to acquire and process new knowledge (absorption capacity).