The recent developments in autonomous vehicles have led to a large increase in the number of patents. In the US there are 4300 patents that include the term “autonomous vehicle”. However, some patents have more value than others.

Explain one reason why some patents may have more commercial value than others.

patents provide a company the (exclusive) right to make or sell a new invention;

based on a (viable) market for the invention/revenue stream;

providing high profit margins/market share;

Award [1] for each of three distinct points in an explanation of why some patents may have more commercial value than others up to [3 max].

A very difficult question about patents that added a layer of conceptual complexity by asking why some patents have more commercial value than others. Last year Q4 combined two concepts that candidates also found difficult to answer: dematerialization and LCA. There was a lot of confusion around patents and many candidates mixed their understanding of copyright and patents. There were attempts to explain why some patents have more value including 'first to market', USP, recognise/successful/established products/brands/companies.