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Patents And Business Models For Software Firms, John R. Allison, Abe Dunn, Ronald J. Mann
Patents And Business Models For Software Firms, John R. Allison, Abe Dunn, Ronald J. Mann
Faculty Scholarship
We analyze the relation between patents and the different business models available to firms in the software industry. The paper builds on Cusumano's work defining the differences among firms that sell products, those that provide services, and the hybrid firms that fall between those polar categories. Combining data from five years of Software Magazine's Software 500 with data about the patenting practices of those software firms, we analyze the relation between the share of revenues derived from product sales and the firm's patenting practices. Accounting for size, R&D intensity, and sector-specific effects, the paper finds a robust positive correlation between …
Commercializing Open Source Software: Do Property Rights Still Matter?, Ronald J. Mann
Commercializing Open Source Software: Do Property Rights Still Matter?, Ronald J. Mann
Faculty Scholarship
For several years now, open source software products have been gaining prominence and market share. Yet the products themselves are not as provocative as the way in which they are developed and distributed. Two related features of the open source model are distinctive: the use of collaborative development structures that extend beyond the boundaries of a single firm, and the lack of reliance on intellectual property ("IP") rights as a means of appropriating the value of the underlying technologies. Firm-level control of intellectual property is replaced by a complex set of relations, both informal and sometimes contractual, among strategic partners …