We analyze the relation between patents and the different business models available to firms in the software industry. The paper builds on Cusumano's work defining the differences among firms that sell products, those that provide services, and the hybrid firms that fall between those polar...

Software patents have been controversial since the days when "software" referred to the crude programs that came free with an IBM mainframe. Different perspectives have been presented in judicial, legislative, and administrative fora over the years, and the press has paid as much attention to...

The role of intellectual property is examinedand, specifically, patents in the software industry. Especially considered arethe advantages and disadvantages of patents depending on firm size. Findingsare based on interviews with about 60 professionals in the software industry.The interviews...