An organizational perspective on patenting and open innovation

• Autores: Ajay Bhaskarabhatla, Deepak Hegde
• Localización: Organization Science, ISSN-e 1526-5455, Vol. 25, Nº. 6, 2014, págs. 1744-1763
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Achange in U.S. patent law in the early 1980s increased the value of patents, particularly for firms in the electronics and semiconductors industry, yet many of the industry�s leading firms did not embrace patenting after the change. We show through an in-depth study of International Business Machines (IBM), the world�s largest patentee, that the company�s practices during much of the 1980s discouraged patenting. IBM adopted pro-patent management practices in 1989 after the installation of a new research and development head and in the face of faltering financial performance. IBM�s increased patenting and licensing activities improved its financial bottom lines but curtailed its industry-wide knowledge spillovers. These causes and consequences of pro-patent practices are visible in several other large U.S. corporations. Thus, in the context of the �patent explosion� of the 1980s, we show that intraorganizational forces such as inertia, financial pressures, and new leadership shaped established firms� uptake of pro-patent management practices and their success. Our findings also suggest that pro-patent practices associated with �open innovation� may stem the free flow of knowledge across organizational boundaries.