March 22, 2006

SOME BIG OLE NON-BARKING DOGS THERE, EH?


The mother of invention (PAUL LIMA, 3/22/06, The Globe and Mail)

[W]hen it comes to filing patents to protect intellectual property, Canada lags behind other countries.

With 2,193 patents applied for in 2005, Canada ranked below Germany, China, Russia, Britain, Taiwan, Italy, Australia and Brazil, and just above Sweden and Spain, according to Thomson Scientific, part of the scientific and health care market segment of Thomson Corp.

Why the average performance?

"Canada is a resource-based nation lacking the technology-intensive nature of smaller countries like Finland and Sweden," said Thomas Keil, assistant professor, entrepreneurship, with the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. In addition, Canada has many branch plants, and patent applications are usually generated by head offices, he said.

"Patents and copyright are central mechanisms to foster innovation," Mr. Keil said. "Patents are the only tangible thing a small firm or inventor owns. With few resources and personnel and no brand, patents may be all they have. They are one of the motors that keep innovation going."


Does Mr. Lima have a psychological block?

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 22, 2006 9:25 AM
Comments

The US generates about 9 times more patents than Canada per million citizens.

Link

Posted by: Gideon at March 22, 2006 10:55 AM

Yes, his head.

Posted by: Genecis at March 22, 2006 11:52 AM

This deserves a double.

!!

Posted by: erp at March 22, 2006 1:15 PM

Reason is talented Canadian innovators cross the border and become Americans. Anybody cares to check how many American inventors are naturalized citizens?

Posted by: ic at March 22, 2006 2:54 PM

ic, around here they're referred to as Americans who were born in the wrong country and we welcome them home.

Posted by: erp at March 22, 2006 5:50 PM

Too bad the Ancient Greeks didn't have patents. Just think how much more innovative they'd have been! Darius could have won by suing Alexander over the use of chariots in battle and Alexander would have gone back to training horses.

Posted by: Randall Voth at March 23, 2006 3:29 AM
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