This paper exploits the introduction of the first regularized patent system, which appeared in the Venetian Republic in 1474, to examine the factors shaping inventors’ propensity to use a new form of intellectual property. We combine detailed information on craft guilds and patents in Renaissance Venice and show a negative association between patenting activity and guild statutory norms that strongly restricted entry and price competition. Our analysis shows that the heterogeneity in patenting activity documented by the industrial organization literature is not a special feature of modern technologies, but is rather a persistent phenomenon affected by market power.

中文翻译：

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市场力量和专利策略：来自威尼斯复兴时期的证据

本文利用了第一个正规化专利制度的引入（该制度于1474年出现在威尼斯共和国）来研究影响发明人使用新形式知识产权的倾向的因素。我们结合了威尼斯文艺复兴时期手工艺品行会和专利的详细信息，并显示出专利活动与行会法定规范之间的负面联系，这强烈限制了准入和价格竞争。我们的分析表明，行业组织文献记载的专利活动异质性不是现代技术的特殊特征，而是受市场力量影响的持久现象。