Canadian worldwide patent activity: An industrial level analysis

•Objective: to find the determinants of Canadian worldwide patenting.•Mapping Canadian worldwide patent applications into industry classifications.•Modelling these applications using a modified gravity model.•Significant determinants are R&D, value added, and industrial exports.

The objective of this paper is to find the determinants of Canadian international patent activity at the industrial level. The paper achieves this goal in two steps. In the first step, Canadian worldwide patent applications are mapped into industry classifications. The paper draws on three different methods (Johnson, 2002 [13]; Schmoch et al., 2003 [22]; and Lybbert and Zolas, 2013 [16]) and two different data sources (EPO PATSTAT and OECD Triadic patent families) to do this task. In the next step, Canadian patent applications abroad are modeled by using a modified gravity model. The empirical results suggest that the industrial R&D and value added of Canada and destination countries as well as industrial exports are significant factors of Canadian patent activity abroad.