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on Intellectual Property Rights |
| By: | Lapo FILISTRUCCHI,; Alessandro GUAZZINI; Samuele SCARPELLI |
| Abstract: | We build a stylized model of the value chain of an industry in which component suppliers sell their products to manufacturers and the licensor chooses the level of the value chain at which it licenses. We then study whether the licensing level chosen by the licensor affects profits of the firms in different competitive environment of both the component and the product markets. We first show that, contrary to common expectations, in our model the level of the value chain at which the licensee operates does not affect the profits of the firms, the level of the royalty and the price of the final product, irrespective of the degree of competition in the component and product markets. Our results shed some light on the debate, brought to public attention by Daimler v. Nokia and Continental v. Avanci, on the level of the value chain at which licensors of standard essential patents should license. Our findings may also be of guidance for an evaluation of the withdrawn proposal of a Standard Essential Patents Regulation and the recently revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation in the EU. |
| Keywords: | Standard Essential Patents, Licensing Level, Automotive Industry, SEP regulation, TTBER |
| JEL: | L24 L41 L43 L62 K21 L12 L13 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2026_13.rdf |
| By: | Galiano, Angelo Maurizio; Dell'Erba, Giuseppe; Costantiello, Alberto; Leogrande, Angelo |
| Abstract: | Europe measures the innovative performance of its regions largely by counting patents, and allocates public resources accordingly. This paper asks what regional patenting actually reflects, drawing on Regional Innovation Scoreboard data for 245 European regions observed annually between 2016 and 2023. Three candidate drivers are considered: the research effort of firms, the intensity of formal collaboration between the research base and industry, and the propensity to protect intangible assets through trademarks. Business research effort emerges as the dominant correlate throughout, science–industry collaboration as a weaker but consistent one, and trademark activity as a positive one, suggesting that firms which protect brands are not forgoing patents but exercising a single appropriation capability across several instruments. Two findings carry implications beyond measurement. Regional innovative capacity proves remarkably immobile: differences between regions account for roughly 95 per cent of the variation in the data, and differences within a region over the eight years for the remainder, so the short-run movements on which policy evaluation typically relies carry very little information, and the returns to innovation investment should be sought over horizons far longer than a programming cycle. And when the 245 regions are grouped into four innovation profiles rather than treated as a single population, the relationship that holds on average holds almost nowhere in particular: it is strong among leading and lagging regions, statistically absent in the largest group, and displaced by brand-led appropriation in a fourth group of 27 regions whose innovation is real but largely non-technological. Uniform innovation policy prescriptions and uniform managerial benchmarks are correspondingly difficult to justify. |
| Date: | 2026–08–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:jhr8t_v1 |
| By: | Schott, Franziska; Meißner, David; Schubart, Constantin |
| Abstract: | The Patagonia vest has increasingly moved beyond its original function as outdoor apparel and has become a visible symbol in business contexts, particularly in finance, consulting, and technology-related environments. This discussion paper examines whether the symbolic meaning of the Patagonia vest still aligns with Patagonia's sustainability-oriented brand image or whether it is increasingly shaped by external social and professional influences. Drawing on concepts of fashion communication, social identity, brand image, and brand authenticity, the paper combines theoretical perspectives with findings from a quantitative online survey. The results indicate that the vest is perceived less as an expression of environmental consciousness and more as a marker of status, professional belonging, self-confidence, and success orientation. While Patagonia's brand identity is strongly rooted in environmental responsibility, outdoor authenticity, and sustainable consumption, the vest's meaning in business contexts appears to be shaped primarily by group affiliation and status symbolism. The findings suggest that symbolic meanings of branded garments can shift when products are adopted by specific professional groups and become embedded in social codes that differ from the original brand identity. |
| Keywords: | Patagonia vest, brand image, fashion communication, social identity, group affiliation, status symbolism, brand authenticity, business casual, sustainable branding, symbolic consumption |
| JEL: | M31 Z13 M14 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:iubhbm:342563 |