When Trolls Attack: Carbonite vs. Oasis Research

Lauren H. Cohen; Umit G. Gurun; Scott Duke Kominers; Sarah  Mehta

Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

When Trolls Attack: Carbonite vs. Oasis Research

by Lauren H. Cohen, Umit G. Gurun, Scott Duke Kominers and Sarah Mehta

Abstract

This case, set in October 2017, follows Danielle Steer, general counsel for Carbonite, as she defends the company against claims of patent infringement. It provides a broad overview of the U.S. patent system and explores the impact that non-practicing entities (sometimes also called “patent trolls”) can have on companies.

Keywords: Patent Infringement Litigation; Non-practicing Entities; Patent trolls; Innovation and Invention; Intellectual Property; Patents; Laws and Statutes; Lawsuits and Litigation; Legal Liability; Computer Industry; Technology Industry; Boston;

Language: English

Format: Print

23 pages

Educators

Citation:

Cohen, Lauren H., Umit G. Gurun, Scott Duke Kominers, and Sarah Mehta. "When Trolls Attack: Carbonite vs. Oasis Research." Harvard Business School Case 219-001, January 2019.

Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2016 (Revised March 2019)

Carrum Health: Scaling Bundled Payments

Robert S. Huckman and Sarah Mehta

Founded in 2014, Carrum Health helped self-insured employers located in three markets (San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; and San Francisco, California) save money on their employees’ planned surgeries. It did so by contracting directly with top-quality hospitals located within the area, and negotiating a set fee (known as a bundled payment) for each of five common surgical procedures: knee replacement, hip replacement, cervical spinal fusion, lumbar spinal fusion, and coronary bypass. By 2016, the company was growing steadily and saving its clients over 40% on average on these five procedures.
In September 2016, Sachin Jain, Carrum’s CEO, received an email from North Beach Apparel, a large retailer based in San Francisco with a growing presence near Chicago, Illinois and Columbus, Ohio. North Beach was ready to partner with Carrum, but the terms of the deal required Carrum to enter the Chicago and Columbus markets in order to serve all North Beach employees. The deal would significantly increase Carrum’s revenue and begin to move the entrepreneurial venture closer to profitability. However, by expanding to Chicago and Columbus, the young company ran the risk of spreading itself too thin, especially given the opportunity for growth in Carrum’s current three markets. But Jain knew that if he waited too long to expand geographically, Carrum might lose its first-mover advantage in several markets. With limited resources, Jain needed to decide how to scale his young company: should Carrum enter the Chicago and Columbus markets with a guaranteed initial client base and then focus on selling the existing five bundles to new customers there; or, should the company add new bundles to its product line through the existing provider networks in the three markets it currently served?

Keywords: health financing; health insurance; value-based healthcare reimbursements; bundled payments; innovation; Scale; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Cost Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Health Industry; California; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle;

Citation:

Huckman, Robert S., and Sarah Mehta. "Carrum Health: Scaling Bundled Payments." Harvard Business School Case 617-017, October 2016. (Revised March 2019.) View Details

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When Trolls Attack: Carbonite vs. Oasis Research

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