Based on an established theoretical framework of the drivers of inventive performance, the so-called KSAO (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other) factors, this paper seeks to explain empirically the performance of inventors throughout their careers. We combine survey information spanning the...

We investigate the causal effect of patent rights on cumulative innovation, using large-scale data that approximate the patent universe in its technological and economic variety. We introduce a novel instrumental variable for patent invalidation that exploits personnel scarcity in post-grant...

We study the blocking effect of patents on follow-on innovation by others. We posit that follow-on innovation requires freedom to operate (FTO), which firms typically obtain through a license from the patentee holding the original innovation. Where licensing fails, follow-on innovation is...

Dietmar Harhoff, LMU und Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation, sieht Handlungsbedarf bei der Innovationsfinanzierung und im Wissens- und Technologietransfer. Da Deutschland zu sehr auf inkrementelle und zu wenig auf radikale Innovationen setze, sollte das Steuersystem „eigenkapital- und...

We examine how collaborator loss affects knowledge workers in corporate R&D. We argue that such a loss affects the remaining collaborators not only by reducing their team-specific capital (as argued in the prior literature) but also by increasing their bargaining power over the employer, who is...

Germany is one of few countries in which the monetary compensation for inventors is not only determined by negotiations between employer and employee-inventor, but also by relatively precise legal provisions. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of the German Employees’ Inventions...

Innovation processes within corporations increasingly tap into international technology sources, yet little is known about the relative contribution of different types of innovation channels. We investigate the effectiveness of different types of international technology sourcing activities...

This paper analyzes firms' choices regarding the geographic scope of patent protection within the European patent system. We develop an econometric model at the patent level to quantify the impact of office fees and translation costs on firms' decision to validate a patent in a particular...

In diesem Beitrag wird ein Oligopolmodell der Innovationsaktivität entwickelt und mit Daten aus dem Mannheimer Innovationspanel geschätzt. Das Modell erlaubt es, bei der empirischen Umsetzung auf die Verwendung von Marktanteilsdaten und Nachfrageelastizitäten zu verzichten, die typischerweise...