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Contracting for an Innovation under Bilateral Asymmetric Information

Author

Listed:
  • David Martimort

    (IDEI - Institut d'Economie Industrielle - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse, GREMAQ - Groupe de recherche en économie mathématique et quantitative - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Jean-Christophe Poudou

    (UM1 - Université Montpellier 1)

  • Wilfried Sand-Zantman

    (IDEI - Institut d'Economie Industrielle - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse, GREMAQ - Groupe de recherche en économie mathématique et quantitative - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

We analyze licensing contracts between informed innovators and developers exerting profit-increasing effort. Those contracts must simultaneously induce innovators to convey information on the value of their ideas, while inducing developers to exert effort and protecting the innovators' intellectual property rights. We show that the best innovators signal themselves by taking more royalties even if it reduces the developers' share of returns and their incentives. Moreover, royalties are more likely to be used when property rights are easy to enforce and pre-contractual evidence on innovation quality is hard to produce.

Suggested Citation

  • David Martimort & Jean-Christophe Poudou & Wilfried Sand-Zantman, 2010. "Contracting for an Innovation under Bilateral Asymmetric Information," Post-Print halshs-00754443, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00754443
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6451.2010.00421.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Castãneda Dower & Andrei Bremzen, 2012. "Almost Anonymous Implicit Contracting," Working Papers w0187, Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR).
    2. Jeon, Haejun, 2019. "Licensing and information disclosure under asymmetric information," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(1), pages 314-330.
    3. Anastasios Dosis, 2022. "On the informed principal model with common values," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 53(4), pages 792-825, December.
    4. Evans, Shane, 2010. "Innovation contracts with leakage through licensing," Working Papers 10282, University of Tasmania, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, revised 05 Oct 2010.
    5. Oscar Mauricio Valencia, 2014. "Endogenous Growth and Research Activity under Private Information," Borradores de Economia 12169, Banco de la Republica.
    6. Martimort, David & Poudou, Jean-Christophe & Sand-Zantman, Wilfried, 2009. "Contracting and Ideas Disclosure in the Innovation Process," TSE Working Papers 09-053, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    7. Fabrizi, Simona & Lippert, Steffen & Norback, Pehr-Johan & Persson, Lars, 2007. "Venture Capitalists, Asymmetric Information and Ownership in the Innovation Process," MPRA Paper 6265, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Simona Fabrizi & Steffen Lippert & Pehr-Johan Norbäck & Lars Persson, 2013. "Venture Capitalists and the Patenting of Innovations," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 623-659, September.
    9. Jose E. Gomez-Gonzalez & Oscar Mauricio Valencia, 2014. "Innovation and Growth under Private Information," Borradores de Economia 845, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    10. Nicholas Charles Bedard, 2017. "Contracts in informed-principal problems with moral hazard," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 5(1), pages 21-34, April.
    11. Bernhard Ganglmair & Luke M. Froeb & Gregory J. Werden, 2012. "Patent Hold-Up and Antitrust: How A Well-Intentioned Rule Could Retard Innovation," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(2), pages 249-273, June.
    12. Heiko Karle & Christian Staat, 2013. "Signaling Quality with Initially Reduced Royalty Rates," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2013-44, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    13. Jeon, Haejun, 2019. "Patent protection and R&D subsidy under asymmetric information," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 332-354.
    14. Pénin, Julien, 2012. "Strategic uses of patents in markets for technology: A story of fabless firms, brokers and trolls," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 633-641.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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