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Which IP strategies do young highly innovative firms choose?

Author

Listed:
  • Reinhilde Veugelers

    (KU Leuven, Bruegel and CEPR)

  • Cédric Schneider

    (Copenhagen Business School)

Abstract

This paper describes and analyzes the strategies of young highly innovative companies to appropriate the returns from their innovations. Upon controlling for other firm and industry characteristics, we show that firms combining a young age and small scale with a high R&D intensive profile are more likely to use intellectual property (IP), specifically combining formal and informal appropriation mechanisms. They are especially more likely to choose secrecy in combination with formal IP. This holds primarily when they introduce more radical innovations new to the market.

Suggested Citation

  • Reinhilde Veugelers & Cédric Schneider, 2018. "Which IP strategies do young highly innovative firms choose?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 113-129, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:50:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11187-017-9898-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-017-9898-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Albert N. Link & Martijn Hasselt, 2020. "Exploring the impact of R&D on patenting activity in small women-owned and minority-owned entrepreneurial firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1061-1066, April.
    3. Maksim Belitski & Rosa Caiazza & Erik E. Lehmann, 2021. "Knowledge frontiers and boundaries in entrepreneurship research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 521-531, February.
    4. KATO Masatoshi & Nicolas LEGENDRE & YOSHIDA Hiroki, 2022. "Does VC Investor Type Matter? Determinants and effects of VC backing for new firms in Japan," Discussion papers 22117, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    5. Baum, Christopher F. & Lööf, Hans & Stephan, Andreas & Viklund-Ros, Ingrid, 2022. "Innovation by start-up firms: The role of the board of directors for knowledge spillovers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    6. D’Amico, Elettra & Belitski, Maksim & Colombelli, Alessandra, 2023. "Evaluating Internal and External Knowledge Sources in Adopting Artificial Intelligence," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 202303, University of Turin.
    7. Colombelli, Alessandra & Grilli, Luca & Minola, Tommaso & Mrkajic, Boris, 2020. "To what extent do young innovative companies take advantage of policy support to enact innovation appropriation mechanisms?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(10).
    8. Fábio De Oliveira Paula & Jorge Ferreira Da Silva, 2019. "The Role Of The Appropriability Mechanisms For The Innovative Success Of Portuguese Small And Medium Enterprises," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(04), pages 1-23, May.
    9. Haoyang Song & Jianhua Hou & Yang Zhang, 2022. "Patent protection: does it promote or inhibit the patented technological knowledge diffusion?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(5), pages 2351-2379, May.
    10. Dirk Czarnitzki & Marek Giebel, 2021. "Financial Constraints for R&D and Innovation: New Evidence from a Survey Experiment," Working Papers of Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation, Leuven 683800, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation, Leuven.
    11. Colombelli, Alessandra & Belitski, Maksim & D’Amico, Elettra, 2023. "Artificial Intelligence and Firm Innovation: The Resource-Allocation Perspective," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 202304, University of Turin.
    12. D’Amico, Elettra & Belitski, Maksim & Colombelli, Alessandra, 2023. "Evaluating Internal and External Knowledge Sources in Adopting Artificial Intelligence," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202315, University of Turin.
    13. Audretsch, David B. & Belitski, Maksim, 2020. "The role of R&D and knowledge spillovers in innovation and productivity," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    14. Colombelli, Alessandra & Belitski, Maksim & D’Amico, Elettra, 2023. "Artificial Intelligence and Firm Innovation: The Resource-Allocation Perspective," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202316, University of Turin.
    15. Masatoshi Kato & Koichiro Onishi & Yuji Honjo, 2022. "Does patenting always help new firm survival? Understanding heterogeneity among exit routes," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 449-475, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Young innovative companies; Appropriability; Patents; Secrecy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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