Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Software Technologies: The Economics of Monopoly Rights and Knowledge Disclosure

by Elad Harison

Overview

The inclusion of software and algorithms in the scope of patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office has propelled an ongoing debate on the contribution of patents to innovation and economic growth. This book examines the effects of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), namely patents and copyrights, on innovation and technical change in information technologies. It provides new insights on the links between markets, technologies and legislation by applying a variety of empirical and analytical methods. The book also explores the success of the Open Source movement to establish an alternative regime for IPRs by illuminating the rationale behind it and illustrating how Open Source can strategically be used by firms.

Initially the book analyzes the role of IPRs by building upon the literature on the economics of innovation and technical change and on insights from evolutionary economics - in particular, the role of knowledge in the economy. It then goes on to analyze the evolution of IPR regimes and IPR policies with regards to IT and software technologies and products and elaborates their impact on innovation. Finally, a series of empirical and analytical models are provided to elaborate the balance between monopoly rights (by patent and copyrights) and knowledge disclosure as an input for innovation and technological development.

Elad Harison's book will appeal to researchers and academics of law and economics, policymakers such as the European Commission, Patent offices, EPO, OECD, as well as directors and strategic managers in large software companies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847205827
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	11/30/2008
Series:	New Horizons in Intellectual Property series
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Elad Harison, formerly of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Table of Contents

Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The Economic Rationale of Intellectual Property Rights 3. The Role and Performance of IPRs 4. Revealing Obscure Sources 5. Benefiting from Intellectual Property and Free Disclosure 6. Designed for Innovation: The Structure of IPR Regimes 7. Owning Technology 8. Proposed Framework for Analyzing IPRs 9. Conclusions 10. References Appendix A: Proof of Propositions 5 and 6 Appendix B: Distribution of Patents Index

Editorial Reviews

'The role of the academic is rarely that of telling the software innovator how to run his business, but he plays a valuable role in explaining how, and why, a new business model has been made to work and how others might subsequently apply and further evolve it. Books like that of Professor Harison can help to do just that.'

IPKAT

'. . . this book represents a helpful reading for understanding the economic concepts and rationales of intellectual property rights of software technologies. It will interest both law and economics academics involved with patents and copyrights of software technologies.'

Ghufran Sukkaryeh