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Sequential innovations and intellectual property rights

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Payot, Frederic and Szalay, Dezsö (2008) Sequential innovations and intellectual property rights. Working Paper. Coventry: University of Warwick, Department of Economics. Warwick economic research papers (No.864).

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Abstract

We analyze a two-stage patent race. In the first phase firms seek to develop a research tool, an innovation that has no commercial value but is necessary to enter the second phase of the race. The firm that completes the second phase of the race first obtains a patent on the final innnovation and enjoys its profits. We ask whether patent protection for the innovator of the research tool is beneficial from the ex ante point of view. We show that there is a range of values of the final innovation such that firms prefer to have no Intellectual Property Rights for research tools.

Item Type:

Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
K Law > K Law (General)

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Intellectual property, Patents -- Research, Industrial property, Technological innovations, Knowledge management

Series Name:

Warwick economic research papers

Publisher:

University of Warwick, Department of Economics

Place of Publication:

Coventry

Official Date:

12 September 2008

Dates:

Date	Event
12 September 2008	Published

Number:

No.864

Number of Pages:

Status:

Not Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

References:

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