Are patents with multiple inventors from different countries a good indicator of international R&D collaboration? The case of ABB

Based on the critical case of ABB this paper questions the relevance of using patents with multiple Inventors from different countries (cross-country patents) as an indicator of international R&D collaboration The study shows that less than half of ABB s cross-country patents are the result of international R&D collaboration as described by one of the more inclusive definitions found in previous literature Only a third of the patents are the result of joint R&D activities between different MNC subsidiaries or firms We also discuss the implications of our study for the assignment of patents to countries based on inventor addresses (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved