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Evaluation of the Development Potential of the Information Society in European Union Countries on the Basis of Patent Activity in the ICT Sector
Ewa Okon-Horodynska, Rafal Wisla, Tomasz Sierotowicz

ABSTRACT. The objective of this article is to determine the level of Information Society (IS) development potential of selected European Union countries using the method of analyzing the structure of patenting activity in IPC classes which, in accordance with OECD guidelines describe the ICT sector, and demonstrate that the structure of this sector represents the strength of its impact the speed and scale of development of the IS in the countries surveyed. One of the commonly accepted measures of innovative activity in the economy is patenting activity operators, as measured by the number of patent applications filed. Therefore, the height of the patenting activity and its structure in the area of ICT represents a measurable effect actually developed by the country's strategic priorities for the development of innovation and R&D. Hence, the development potential of the IS of the country can be examined by measuring the structure and level of patent activity in the ICT sector. Calculations were performed using a weighted average, which allowed for the inclusion of patent activity in the various branches of the IPC to describe the sector. Countries that achieve the greatest value of the weighted average, have the highest potential for development of the IS.

KEYWORDS: inventions, patents applications, comparative studies of countries.

JEL classification: O31, O34, O39, O57.