We examine the Nash equilibria of a game where two national governments set patent breadth strategically. Broader patents make R&D more attractive, but the effect on static efficiency is nonmonotonic. In a North.South model, where only the North can innovate, harmonization of patent breadth...

Teamwork in research has been on the rise and so has the size of R&D teams. This paper offers an explanation for increasing team size that we call the "racing against time" hypothesis: With innovation races more competitive globally, R&D firms need to finish research projects as quickly as...

Standard-essential patents (SEPs) have been critical to the ICT revolution. SEPs have allowed for the fast rates of innovation diffusion that the world has witnessed in the past 25 years. Yet the SEP system is under pressure. It suffers from a smoldering crisis of confidence as costly legal...

The European Commission is reviewing the use of supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), a patent term extension motivated by the increasing length of market approvals for pharmaceuticals. The initiative is driven by EU Health Ministers thinking that changes in patent exclusivity rights...

Seit einigen Jahren kann beobachtet werden, dass Unternehmen zunehmend marginale Innovationen in Patente umwandeln. Alle wichtigen Patentämter weltweit sind mit einer regelrechten "Explosion von Patentanmeldungen" konfrontiert (Harhoff et al., 2007). Die Rolle von geistigem Eigentum - englisch:...

This paper considers the prospect of a government patent buyout in a model of endogenous growth. To this end, the author modifies a standard quality ladder growth model by incorporating possibility of imitation, and rent protection activities (RPAs) by the innovator. The government finances the...

Der Schadensersatz bei Patentrechtsverletzungen wird in der Schweiz wie in Deutschland unter grundsätzlich vergleichbaren Voraussetzungen geschuldet. Auf Rechtsfolgenseite unterscheiden sich aber die Möglichkeiten, welche sich dem Patentinhaber bieten. So ist insbesondere nach einem...

"Economic growth has traditionally been attributed to the increase in national production arising from technological innovation. Nevertheless, the relationship between patents and economic growth remains uncertain. This relationship, which forms the focus of this book, is examined by means of a...

I develop a stylized model of court procedures that resolve disputes concerning FRAND-encumbered standard essential patents (SEPs). I analyze the effects of injunctions and potential court-imposed FRAND rates on negotiated royalty rates. The SEP-holders' ability to hold-up is constrained by the...

This paper investigates the role of patent protection in the global investment decisions of multinational firms. Using comprehensive firm-level panel data of German multinationals, we investigate how changes in a host country’s patent protection influence the extensive and intensive margin of...