Drawing on more than half a million granted patents in all technological sectors filed at EPO between 1998 and 2012 we gather information on 300,000 inscriptions affecting changes in their ownership at the EPO and top national registers (France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain). After grouping...

This article introduces the SME case studies which are the focus of this special issue. It provides an overview of the companies involved, and looks at the main conclusions drawn by the studies on how to address the common challenges of IP strategy and management faced by SMEs. It also gives...

This paper presents an empirical study on the production of open source software, based on a panel of 10,553 projects registered on SourceForge over a period of 28 months (February 2005 until May 2007). We use a flexible Translog specification to estimate a production function relating the...

From the perspective of antitrust authorities, the multiplication of patents embodied in technology standards is a source of concerns. Certainly it is necessary and efficient that patents owners derive a revenue from the use of the standard. Yet by their function - ensuring compatibility between...

We analyze non-cooperative Ramp;D investment by two firms that already hold patents that they can assert against each other with probabilistic success. The market structure results from stochastic innovation and patent litigation. Depending on the level of infringement fees, we highlight...