Most innovations are the result of a cumulative R&D process, i.e., their production requires the combination of knowledge contained in previous innovations (for a general presentation, see my previous ‘Dig It!’ post). Cumulative innovations raise specific problems that put the patent system under stress. We already explained on this blog that holdup strategies or licensing […]
Tag Archives | cumulative
Do patent rights facilitate or impede cumulative innovation?
By Paul Belleflamme 20 November 2014 33
A primer on cumulative innovations
By Paul Belleflamme 21 October 2014 0
(This post aims at digging the concept of cumulative innovation. It is based on Section 19.3 of Belleflamme and Peitz, 2010). Innovations are rarely produced in complete isolation. In many complex industries (such as biotechnologies, information technologies, telecommunications, electronics and software), innovations are typically the result of a cumulative process. For the sake of the […]