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文献来源 Technical knowledge complexity In this study, the technical knowledge complexity is measured by the technology category in firms’ patent applications. According to previous research (Colombelli et al., 2013), patents are often used to measure the knowledge base of a firm. Generally, according to the patent claims, the patent examination office will mark the International Patent Classification (IPC) classification of patents, which reflects the novel knowledge elements contained in patents to a large extent (Strumsky et al., 2012). Thus, IPC classification can be used to represent the knowledge elements contained in a patent. The multiple IPC classifications involved in a patent represent a complex knowledge structure. Moreover, the first four digits of IPC are the main classification standards when identifying the technical fields of the patents. For instance, B60T stands for the technologies related to the vehicle brake control system or components. In this study, the n
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