Using trademark data in research

Although trademarks are the most widely used intellectual property right (IPR) they remain underrepresented in empirical research compared to other IPRs like patents. While patents capture mainly technological innovation, trademarks are broader and reflect firm strategy, brand positioning, and non-technological innovation. Despite their importance in practice, challenges in data accessibility and preprocessing have limited their application and investigation in (empirical) research. This review examines available trademark data sources, assesses their usability, and discusses key challenges in data integration. It further provides a structured overview of trademark-based measures for studying innovation, product strategy and economic development. We derive a research agenda of opportunities enabled by improved data accessibility and methodological advancements. Our study highlights the potential of trademarks as a data source, empirical measure, and research tool. We provide researchers with methodological guidance to facilitate the broader adoption of trademark data in business and economic studies.