Capturing value from Intellectual Property (IP) in a global environment

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  • Juan Alcácer
  • Karin Beukel
  • Bruno Cassiman
Globalization should provide firms with an opportunity to leverage their know-how and reputation across countries to create value. However, it remains challenging for them to actually capture that value using traditional Intellectual Property (IP) tools. In this paper, we document the strong growth in patents, trademarks, and industrial designs used by firms to protect their IP globally. We then show that IP protection remains fragmented; the quality of IP applications might be questionable; and developing a comprehensive IP footprint worldwide is very costly. Growing numbers of applications are causing backlogs and delays in numerous Patent and Trademarks Offices and litigation over IP rights is expensive, with an uncertain outcome. Moreover, local governments can succeed in transferring value to local firms and influencing global market positions by using IP laws and other regulations. In essence, the analysis shows a global IP environment that leaves much to be desired. Despite these challenges, there are successful strategies to capture value from know-how and reputation by leveraging an array of IP tools. These strategies have important implications for management practice, as we discuss in our concluding section. Global companies will need to organize cross-functional value capture teams focused on appropriating value from their know-how and reputation by combining different institutional, market, and nonmarket tools, depending on the institutional and business environment in a particular region.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGeography, Location, and Strategy
EditorsJuan Alcácer, Bruce Kogut, Catherine Thomas, Bernard Yin Yeung
Number of pages66
PublisherEmerald Group Publishing
Publication date2017
Pages163-228
ISBN (Print)978-1-78714-277-0
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-78714-276-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
SeriesAdvances in Strategic Management
Volume36
ISSN0742-3322

ID: 177146453