Publications
Publications
- 2015
- HBS Working Paper Series
Lost in the Clouds: The Impact of Changing Property Rights on Investment in Cloud Computing Ventures
By: Josh Lerner and Greg Rafert
Abstract
Our analysis seeks to understand the impact of changing allocations of property rights on investment in new firms. We focus on the Cartoon Network, et al. v. Cablevision decision in the U.S., which narrowed the protection enjoyed by content creators (e.g., movie studios) and gave greater rights to downstream technology firms, as well as decisions in France and Germany that took an opposite view. Our findings regarding relative venture capital investment in the U.S. and Europe, across Europe, and between the various judicial circuits of the U.S. suggest that decisions around the allocation of property rights can have economically and statistically significant impacts on investment in innovative enterprises.
Keywords
Technological Innovation; Venture Capital; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Copyright
Citation
Lerner, Josh, and Greg Rafert. "Lost in the Clouds: The Impact of Changing Property Rights on Investment in Cloud Computing Ventures." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-082, April 2015.