Using trademark data in research

IF 2.4 Q2 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE

World Patent Information Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-28 DOI:10.1016/j.wpi.2026.102431

Tom Willeke , Jörn Block , Darius Lambrecht

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Although trademarks are the most widely used intellectual property right (IPR) they remain underrepresented in empirical research compared to other IPRs like patents. While patents capture mainly technological innovation, trademarks are broader and reflect firm strategy, brand positioning, and non-technological innovation. Despite their importance in practice, challenges in data accessibility and preprocessing have limited their application and investigation in (empirical) research. This review examines available trademark data sources, assesses their usability, and discusses key challenges in data integration. It further provides a structured overview of trademark-based measures for studying innovation, product strategy and economic development. We derive a research agenda of opportunities enabled by improved data accessibility and methodological advancements. Our study highlights the potential of trademarks as a data source, empirical measure, and research tool. We provide researchers with methodological guidance to facilitate the broader adoption of trademark data in business and economic studies.

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在研究中使用商标数据

尽管商标是使用最广泛的知识产权（IPR），但与专利等其他知识产权相比，商标在实证研究中的代表性仍然不足。专利主要体现了技术创新，而商标则更广泛，反映了企业战略、品牌定位和非技术创新。尽管它们在实践中很重要，但数据可访问性和预处理方面的挑战限制了它们在实证研究中的应用和调查。本文审查了可用的商标数据源，评估了它们的可用性，并讨论了数据集成中的关键挑战。它进一步为研究创新、产品战略和经济发展提供了基于商标的措施的结构化概述。通过改进数据可访问性和方法进步，我们得出了机会的研究议程。我们的研究强调了商标作为数据来源、实证度量和研究工具的潜力。我们为研究人员提供方法指导，以促进商标数据在商业和经济研究中的广泛采用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

World Patent Information INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

18.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： The aim of World Patent Information is to provide a worldwide forum for the exchange of information between people working professionally in the field of Industrial Property information and documentation and to promote the widest possible use of the associated literature. Regular features include: papers concerned with all aspects of Industrial Property information and documentation; new regulations pertinent to Industrial Property information and documentation; short reports on relevant meetings and conferences; bibliographies, together with book and literature reviews.