Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of recent research on the connection between patent systems and inventive activities in the early phases of industrialization. Perhaps surprisingly, no consensus has been reached yet as to whether the emergence of modern patent systems exerted a favourable impact on inventive activities. However, the recent literature has shed light on a number of important features concerning the functioning of patent systems and the nature of innovation processes in this period. The concluding section of the paper flags some promising directions for further research.