The use of patent analysis in assessing ITS innovations: US, Europe and Japan

A wealth of research on ITS has been carried out for the past two decades. In view of the rapid technological development and innovations occurring in ITS, the ITS stakeholders need to be aware of the usefulness and availability of patents associated with ITS technology. Among the national and international reviews which have been made available in journals of record and freely available public sources, little use has been made of patent information in assessing ITS innovations. Therefore, the paper looks at the ITS technology developments from the international perspective through utilizing rich, reliable information provided by ITS-related invention patents in the world’s three leading patent databases (EPO, USPTO, and JPO) to provide an overall picture of ITS innovations. The research findings show that the patent analysis can provide firms involved in the ITS sector and ITS researchers with information that can assist in their strategic planning efforts.