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Publications
  • fall 2007
  • Article
  • RAND Journal of Economics

The Design of Patent Pools: The Determinants of Licensing Rules

By: Josh Lerner, Marcin Strojwas and Jean Tirole
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Abstract

Patent pools are an important but little-studied economic institution. In this paper, we first make a set of predictions about the licensing terms associated with patent pools. The theoretical framework predicts that (a) pools consisting of complementary patents are more likely to allow members to engage in independent licensing and (b) that the requirement that firms license patents to the pool (grantbacks) should be associated with pools that consist of complements and allow independent licensing. We then empirically examine the terms of 63 pools, and show that licensing rules are consistent with these hypotheses.

Keywords

Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Patents; Rights

Citation

Lerner, Josh, Marcin Strojwas, and Jean Tirole. "The Design of Patent Pools: The Determinants of Licensing Rules." RAND Journal of Economics 38, no. 3 (fall 2007): 610–625. (Earlier version distributed as National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 9680.)
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About The Author

Josh Lerner

Entrepreneurial Management
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  • Learning by Investing: Entrepreneurial Spillovers from Venture Capital By: Josh Lerner, Jinlin Li and Tong Liu
  • Anti-Corruption, Government Subsidies, and Innovation: Evidence from China By: Lily Fang, Josh Lerner, Chaopeng Wu and Qi Zhang
  • Takahashi-Alexander Revisited: Modeling Private Equity Portfolio Outcomes Using Historical Simulations By: Dawson Beutler, Alex Billias, Sam Holt, Josh Lerner and TzuHwan Seet
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