Patent application numbers grow exponentially in many industries, a phenomenon that has been linked to high fragmentation of patent ownership. Contradicting these findings and theoretical arguments, we show that such fragmentation is not a precondition for sudden and strong increases in...

There has been much discussion about the timing of moves in games. However, one assumption usually goes unquestioned, namely, that of an irrevocable commitment of the first mover. In many cases this is not realistic, since final commitments are often preceded by actions that are binding only to...

New entrants to a market tend to be superior to incumbents in originating radical innovations. We provide a new explanation for this phenomenon, based on markets for technology. It applies in industries where successful entrepreneurial firms, or their technologies, are acquired by incumbents...

We propose a unifying framework for the role of visible product design as a driver of interfirm competition, covering aspects of both value creation and value capture. We introduce the concept of “relative” product differentiation and theorize how design choices, by affecting consumer...

n the analysis of value capture, it is central to understand what value each group of players can capture when leaving the negotiation table. Frequently, this will entail engaging in competition, i.e., non-negotiated, strategic interactions with the other players. For instance, if merger talks...