Why does society allow, or even encourage, private appropriation of inventions? When do patents encourage competition, when do they hamper it? How should society design the compromise between the interest of the inventor and the interest of the users of patented inventions? How should the patent system adapt to new technological areas?
These questions and many more are addressed by the authors in this groundbreaking analysis of the economics behind the European patent system. Beginning with the history and principles of the patent system, the book then examines the economic effects of...

This book provides a better understanding of how intellectual property can improve economic and business performance. It focuses on three particular issues: the valuation of patents, the transfer of knowledge, and the management of innovation and intellectual property. Scholars from leading worldwide institutions use quantitative methods and advanced survey techniques to explore the complex relationship between patents, innovation, venture capital and scientific research. The book focuses on three broad issues: the valuation of patents, the transfer of knowledge, and the management of...

This invaluable book provides a comprehensive overview of twenty years of research on the economics of innovation and patent policies. Edited by Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, the papers in this volume witness twenty years of advanced empirical research — triggered by intensive collaboration and inspired by his own professional experience at the OECD, METI and the European Patent Office. The Editor's publications in these fields have greatly contributed to better understand how innovation can be stimulated, how it can be measured, through which channels it contributes to...