Theory 187/Patents/Rate lens
Filing Follows R&D Rate
The claim
Patent filing rate is set by the rate of R&D spending rather than by its cumulative level, so a sustained programme files more than a large one-off.
01Mechanism
Filing requires discoveries in sequence; the rate of discovery sets the rate of application.
02Prediction
Filing should track R&D rate.
03Refutation
Filing tracking cumulative spend would remove the rate.