Patent-based measures are frequently used indicators in empirical research on innovation and technology as well as firms’ strategies and organizational choices. We contribute to their validation in a unique setting that allows us to combine data on product commercialization in the pharmaceutical industry with the underlying patents on the level of individual products. Our findings draw a complex picture regarding the information content of various patent indicators are bear important implications for the use and the proper interpretation of these indicators in settings where they are employed to describe outcomes beyond the patent system itself.

With permission of the Academy of Management