From technologies to markets: a concordance between patent and trademark classes

Patent data is the preferred source of information for tracking technological change. However, the economic impact of patented technologies remains unclear unless patent data is linked to other data, which can reveal the mechanisms through which new technology diffuses. One such data source comes from the trademark filings that accompany the market introduction of new goods and services. Patent and trademark data can be combined to link given technologies to specific markets. Yet, differences in their classification systems represent a challenge. To enable linking patent and trademark data, we develop, validate and share a novel concordance between technology classes in patent records and market classes in trademark records. The concordance can be used to track the diffusion of patented technologies at the technology, firm, region, or country level, with many relevant applications in research and policy analyses of innovation.