SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE PATENTING OF LEADING NET SALES REVENUES BRAZILIAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES

Currently, the public and private organizations resort to Intellectual Property mechanisms to protect their innovations and ensure their rights, with patents being the main form of protection of generated products and processes. In the Brazilian chemical sector, where there is the intensive use of new technologies which provide the basis for several other industrial sectors, having a direct impact on the country’s economy, the use of patents as a source of information can assist in the strategic management of companies in the segment. Considering the economic and social relevance of the patenting activity and the chemical industry for the country, the present study performed a systemic analysis of patenting on the Brazilian chemical industry, evaluating the patent applications by the leading companies in the sector. The results showed that these companies have a great interest on patenting, mostly products, prevailing the invention patent type, and a low interest on the protection of their products and processes in different geographical regions through deposits via Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Also, a great interest on the use of externals sources of knowledge, mostly federal educational institutes, and a low index of granted patents, even with individual backlogs lower than the national average.