With increasing frequency, patent holders have made voluntary public commitments (pledges) to limit the enforcement of their patents without direct compensation. After introducing the background and market impact of patent pledges, this chapter focuses on the effect on patent pledges on the...

This entry in the online Global Dictionary of Competition Law defines the term trade secret: information that has commercial value to an organization due to its secrecy, is not known outside of the organization, and the continuing secrecy of which the organization has taken reasonable measures...

We revisit the effect of the "Eco-Patent Commons" (EcoPC) on the diffusion of patented environmentally friendly technologies following its discontinuation in 2016, using both participant survey and data analytic evidence. Established in January 2008 by several large multinational companies, the...