Digital technology patents in China: an integrated analysis of patent distribution and transactions

Abstract

In the wave of global digital technology (DT) development, the rapid growth of China’s DT patents is remarkable. This research aims to perform an integrated analysis of patent distribution and transactions to map the overall DT development in China, thus advancing the understanding of the whole process from patent creation to commercialisation. By focusing on the DT granted patents in the four fields of artificial intelligence (A), blockchain (B), cloud computing (C) and big data (D), this study applies patentometrics and social network analysis (SNA) to reveal the development and evolution characteristics of China’s DT patents from 2001 to 2021. Our findings highlight that DT patents authorised in China increase continuously, but patent families contain very few members and are less distributed in developed countries; artificial intelligence is the dominant technical field; there is a close technological convergence between digital and manufacturing technologies; patent transactions represented by patent licensing and transfer lag far behind patent authorizations; organisational proximity plays a unique role in patent transactions, and patent transactions across firms and industries are inactive. Based on the characteristics and existing problems in the development of China’s DT patents, this study proposes implications for research, policy and practice in China and other economies.