Technology companies scan the competitive arena for patents to discover research activities and technology trends. Patents are the outcome of innovation processes that take several month or even years, depending on the industry. The process of publishing patents usually lasts longer. A huge time gap of up to several years between early research and development activities and published patents is the consequence. Therefore, a patent is a weak indicator for the identification of early innovation activities. However, the inventor needs intellectual assets such as data, knowledge, and expertise to carry out an innovation process. It is likely that these intellectual assets can improve the competitor analysis {extendash
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