Litigation risk and innovation portfolio: analysing firms’ direction of innovation

Okutue, Glory (2024) Litigation risk and innovation portfolio: analysing firms’ direction of innovation. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

This study examines the impact of litigation risk on corporate innovation, using the 2006 eBay v. MercExchange Supreme Court decision as a natural experiment. By employing a difference-in-differences approach and leveraging firm-level variation in exposure to patent litigation, this dissertation analyses how firms adjust their innovation strategies in response to reduced litigation risk. The ruling, which altered the enforcement of patent rights, serves as the basis for this analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the ruling significantly increased overall patenting activity and the number of patents in existing technological fields. However, firms remained cautious about exploring new fields. The study also highlights variations based on firm size, with larger firms more likely to increase patents filed in familiar domains while smaller firms focused on reinforcing their core technologies without significantly increasing their number of patents. These results provide important insights into the complex relationship between legal environments and innovation strategies, suggesting that changes in patent enforcement may have differential impacts based on firm characteristics.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (MRes)
Supervisors: Garcıa-Vega, Marıa
Kneller, Richard
Keywords: Innovation, Patent enforcement, Litigation, Patents
Subjects: H Social sciences > HC Economic history and conditions
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Social Sciences, Law and Education > School of Economics
Item ID: 79502
Depositing User: Okutue, Glory
Date Deposited: 12 Dec 2024 04:40
Last Modified: 12 Dec 2024 04:40
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/79502

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