Examining the Implementation of a European Patent Management System in Brazil from an Actor-Network Theory Perspective

Abstract

Drawing upon the Brazilian experience, this article aims at examining some of the key issues associated with e-government technical cooperation programs designed to enhance the service provision of Patent Offices in developing countries. In order to do that, this work adopts the Actor-Network Theory as a framework for understanding the processes of transferring e-government technologies from the European Patent Office (EPO) to the Brazilian Patent Office, which is locally called Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI). This longitudinal study aims to contribute to the limited empirical evidence surrounding technical cooperation involving Patent Office organizations. Our findings suggest that gaps and conflicts among the existing national laws and policies, duration and type of historical interactions among EPO and INPI, as well as differences in the Information Technology infrastructure and capabilities of the participating organizations are the key issues in e-government technology transfer between EPO and INPI.

Keywords:

• patent office
• technology transfer
• Actor-Network Theory
• Patent Management Systems
• developing countries

Notes on contributors

Gabriel Marcuzzo do Canto Cavalheiro was awarded his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. At present, he is an IP Researcher at the Brazilian Patent Office, a Ph.D. student at the Business and Public Administration Program at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, and an Associate Researcher at e:lab – Research Laboratory on e-Government and e-Business at the same institution. His research interests lie in e-government and information technology for development.

Luiz Antonio Joia is currently an Associate Professor and Principal of e:lab – Research Laboratory on e-Government and e-Business at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration at Getulio Vargas Foundation, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. He was awarded his BSc in Fortification and Construction Engineering at the Military Institute of Engineering, Brazil, and his M.Sc. in Civil Engineering and DSc in Production Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He also holds an M.Sc. in Management Studies from Oxford University. His research interests lie in e-business and e-government, intellectual capital and knowledge management, and information technology for development.