| Abstract: |
Recent years have recorded a growth in the number of patent applications filed
by digital platforms. This paper argues that by profiling these patent
portfolios, we can obtain insightful patterns on platforms' business and
innovation strategies. For this purpose, we build a dataset of over 380, 000
patent applications filed at least by one of ten large US and Chinese digital
platforms between 1986 and 2024. A significant rise in patent activity has
taken shape since 2012, largely due to an impressive number of applications
filed by Chinese platforms. Platforms tend to patent alone and concentrate
their patenting activity on computer technology and electric communication,
with machine learning being an overarching theme. However, some platforms like
Apple pursue the development of a diversified patent portfolio, while others
build one more specialized and aligned with their core business. Additionally,
platform applications receive a significant number of citations, despite a
skewed distribution which is only slightly challenged by Apple. Finally,
applications by Chinese platforms have a more limited international protection
when compared to their American counterparts, as attested by their patent
family sizes. |