Speed is often critical for successful commercialization of a new technology, and patents help entrepreneurs secure funding, enter the market, and avoid expropriation of their ideas. In this article, we employ a recent change to U.S. patent law—the introduction of an elective program accelerating patent examination—to investigate the role of patent examination speed in strategic entrepreneurship. We find that small firms with limited patent portfolios are the most likely to expedite their patent applications. Moreover, accelerated patents are cited and litigated at higher rates than other patents, and these outcomes are more sensitive to exogenous changes to patent scope. Our results suggest that providing the option to accelerate patent examination may help increase incentives for innovation by strategic entrepreneurs.

中文翻译：

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第一轨试点项目：谁从优先专利审查中受益？

速度对于新技术的成功商业化往往至关重要，而专利有助于企业家获得资金、进入市场并避免他们的想法被征用。在本文中，我们利用美国专利法的最新变化——引入加速专利审查的选修课程——来调查专利审查速度在战略创业中的作用。我们发现专利组合有限的小公司最有可能加快他们的专利申请。此外，加速专利的引用率和诉讼率高于其他专利，这些结果对专利范围的外生变化更为敏感。我们的结果表明，提供加速专利审查的选项可能有助于增加战略企业家对创新的激励。