Industry standards, intellectual property, and innovation: Introduction to the special issue

摘要

This special issue of the International Journal of Industrial Organization is focused on the inter-relationship between industry standards, intellectual property (IP) protection, and innovative performance. This relationship is a timely topic. For example, recent reports issued by the National Academies (2013) and the International Telecommunications Union (2014) reflect the growing interest and controversy over the role played - for good or ill - by patents and other types of IP in the operation of de facto and voluntary consensus standards, as well as the effects this interaction has on innovation at the firm, industry, and national levels. The seven articles in this volume add meaningfully to our understanding of these complex issues.