What patent statistics do not show you
As with any research endeavor, one should be mindful of what statistics do not show you.
1) the variance between patents in importance and degree of invention
2) the propensity to patent, as opposed to relying on patent alternatives (e.g., lead time in the market place and trade secrets) may vary over time, within an industry, and between industries.
Also, it may be, as some allege, that patenting trends are more indicative of the health of the patent system than of the health of technology. Or it may be that the trends reveal more about the shifts in domestic technological development than about the relative balance between domestic and foreign technology.
