In a cooperation project between the University of Bremen, the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and the Patent Information Center of the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in the realm of the BMBF-funded project Mod-Block-GDR, a new dataset with comprehensive and prepared information on 286,478 patents of the GDR is now available for research. The data preparation is documented in a methods report.

The dataset contains all patent applications and grants in the GDR published by the Office for Inventions and Patents (later: German Patent and Trademark Office/DPMA) in the period between 1.1.1939 (application before, but granted in the GDR) and 29.06.2006 (application in, but granted after the GDR). The core dataset covers the years from 1949 to 1990. The dataset entails 24 variables with manually cleaned and prepared information on all patents in the GDR. The data was prepared for the purpose of research on inventor activity in the GDR.

This dataset is now available for use at GESIS by quoting the following:

Hipp, Ann; Fritsch, Michael; Greve, Maria; Günther, Jutta; Lange, Marcel; Liutik, Christian; Pfeifer, Beate; Shkolnykova, Mariia; Wyrwich, Michael (2022). Patentdaten der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR) (1949-1990). GESIS, Köln. Datenfile Version 1.0.0, https://doi.org/10.7802/2423

The dataset as well as the methods report can be downloaded here: https://doi.org/10.7802/2423

Contact person: Dr. Ann Hipp, Email: ann.hippprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de