Open innovation, contracts, and intellectual property rights: an exploratory empirical study

John Hagedoorn () and Ann-Kristin Ridder ()
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John Hagedoorn: UNU-MERIT/MGSoG, and Department of Organization & Strategy, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University
Ann-Kristin Ridder: Department of Organization & Strategy, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University

No 2012-025, MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT)

Abstract: Our exploratory empirical study, based on a series of in-depth interviews and a survey of firms, searches for answers on a number of questions that deal with the role of formal contracts and intellectual property rights in the context of open innovation. We find that firms active in open innovation have a strong preference for the governance of their open innovation relationships through formal contracts. These contracts are relevant from both a control and a process monitoring perspective. Also, despite the open nature of open innovation, firms still see intellectual property rights as highly relevant to the protection of their innovative capabilities. In a first attempt to explain this preference for intellectual property rights by open innovation firms, we find the degree of openness of firms, their legalistic attitude, and the competitive dynamics of their product market environment to be related to this preference.

Keywords: open innovation; contracts; intellectual property rights (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K11 K12 L24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:unumer:2012025

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