Claim and control: The functions of patents in the example of Berkel, 1898–1948

This article tries to provide a balanced view of firm patenting. Two different literatures provide two different functions of patents: patents enable a firm to claim a technology and they enable a firm to control that technology and to control markets. This article argues that claim and control are complementary functions, and that both need to be taken into account, but also that control gains in importance over time. It does so with a case study of the Dutch firm Berkel (Van Berkel's Patent) in the first half century of its existence. Berkel was a large and leading company in the development of meat slicing machines and compiled an extensive portfolio of patents.