Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/27583 
more recent Version: 
Year of Publication: 
2008
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 08-101
Publisher: 
Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), Mannheim
Abstract: 
We examine the relationship between fragmented intellectual property (IP) rights and innovative performance, taking into consideration the role played by in-licensing of IP. Controlling for a variety of firm and market characteristics, we find that firms facing more fragmented IP landscapes are more likely to report expenditures on in-licensing and for those firms that do incur license costs we find a weak positive association between licensing expenditure and fragmented IP rights in the relevant technology. We also observe a negative relationship between IP fragmentation and innovative performance, but only for firms that engage in in-licensing and only for product innovation. The relationship between fragmentation and innovative performance also depends on the size of a firm's patent portfolio, which suggests an important strategic role for defensive patenting in the context of fragmented property rights.
Subjects: 
patent thickets
licensing
innovative performance
JEL: 
O34
O31
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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