Much of the research on networks using patent data focuses on citations and the collaboration networks of inventors, hence regarding patents as a positive sign of invention. However, patenting is, most importantly, a strategic action used by companies to compete with each other. This study sheds light on inter-organisational adversarial relationships in patenting for the first time. We constructed and analysed the network of companies connected via patent opposition relationships that occurred between 1980 and 2018. A majority of the companies are directly or indirectly connected to each other and hence form the largest connected component. We found that, in the network, many companies disapprove patents in various industrial sectors as well as those owned by foreign companies. The network exhibits heavy-tailed, power-law-like degree distribution, and assortative mixing. We further investigated the dynamics of the formation of this network by conducting a temporal network motif analysis, with patent co-ownership among the companies being considered. By regarding opposition as a negative relationship and patent co-ownership as a positive relationship, we analysed where collaboration may occur in the opposition network and how such positive relationships would interact with negative relationships. The results identified the structurally imbalanced triadic motifs and the temporal patterns of the occurrence of triads formed by a mixture of positive and negative relationships. Our findings suggest that the mechanisms of the emergence of the inter-organisational adversarial relationships may differ from those of other types of negative relationships, hence necessitating further research.

中文翻译：

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组织间专利异议网络：公司如何形成对抗性关系

关于使用专利数据的网络的许多研究都集中在发明人的引文和协作网络上，因此将专利视为发明的积极标志。但是，最重要的是，专利是公司相互竞争的一种战略行动。这项研究首次揭示了专利申请中的组织间对抗关系。我们构建并分析了1980年至2018年之间通过专利异议关系建立联系的公司网络。大多数公司直接或间接相互联系，因此形成了最大的联系组成部分。我们发现，在网络中，许多公司不赞成各个工业领域以及外国公司所拥有的专利。该网络呈现出重尾，类似幂律的度分布，和分类混合。我们通过进行时间网络主题分析进一步研究了该网络形成的动态，并考虑了公司之间的专利共同所有权。通过将异议视为消极关系并将专利共同所有权视为积极关系，我们分析了在异议网络中何处可能发生协作以及这种积极关系将如何与消极关系发生相互作用。结果确定了结构上不平衡的三合会图案和由正负关系混合形成的三合会出现的时间模式。我们的发现表明，组织间对抗性关系出现的机制可能不同于其他类型的负面关系，因此有必要进行进一步的研究。