An Analysis of Inventive Trajectories through a Triad of Patent, Regulation, and Finance: The Case of Laser Ophthalmology

Within the field of technological intelligence, this paper aims to justify an original methodology for the study of an innovative field based on financial and regulatory information aiming to improve patent analysis. The analytical argument emphasizes the need to combine two readings: first, the close interaction between innovation and regulation, and second, the central role of financial activities in current innovation systems. This analytical framework is mobilized in a second stage to study the case of laser ophthalmology. Two key aspects are clear: regulatory influence is useful to understanding a major and recent trajectory of this field (the development of Femtosecond laser) and, without considering the financial associations, patent data provide us with a very approximate perception of opposing forces.