Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(334)
- Faculty Publications (102)
- June 2007
- Article
What Is the Impact of Software Patent Shifts? Evidence from Lotus v. Borland
By: Josh Lerner and Feng Zhu
Economists have debated the extent to which strengthening patent protection spurs or detracts from technological innovation. This paper examines the reduction of software copyright protection in the Lotus v. Borland decision. If patent and copyright protections are... View Details
- 2006
- Working Paper
Skill vs. Luck in Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital: Evidence from Serial Entrepreneurs
This paper argues that a large component of success in entrepreneurship and venture capital can be attributed to skill. We show that entrepreneurs with a track record of success are more likely to succeed than first time entrepreneurs and those who have previously... View Details
- February 2006 (Revised January 2007)
- Case
ABRY Partners, LLC: WideOpenWest
By: Josh Lerner and Smart Darren
ABRY, a Boston-based private equity group, is considering whether to terminate its investment in WideOpenWest or to try to salvage the transaction by acquiring a division of telecommunications unit Ameritech. View Details
- September 2005 (Revised May 2007)
- Case
OuterLink Corporation (A)
By: Josh Lerner and Brenda Chia
Zero Stage Capital is addressing a troubled investment in OuterLink Corp., which has a capital deficit of $30 million and was written off by all but one of its investors as a victim of the technology bubble. The venture organization must decide whether to shutter the... View Details
- Article
Discussion of "Ivory Tower and Industrial Innovation: University-Industry Technology Transfer Before and After the Bayh-Dole Act in the United States" by David C. Mowery, Richard R. Nelson, Bhaven N. Sampat, and Arvids A. Ziedonis
By: Josh Lerner
- January 2004 (Revised May 2005)
- Case
Gold Hill Venture Lending
By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon
David Fischer is trying to raise $200 million for a first-time venture debt fund that will be affiliated with Silicon Valley Bank, a major technology lender. Despite his lengthy experience in venture lending, the process is proving difficult. He and his partners are... View Details
- March 2003 (Revised January 2004)
- Case
CDC Capital Partners: December 2002
By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon
Paul Fletcher, CEO of CDC Capital Partners, a private equity group investing in the world's poorest countries, is wrestling with questions raised by the imminent reorganization of the firm. Previously an arm of the United Kingdom's international aid agency, CDC is... View Details
- December 2002 (Revised June 2003)
- Case
Vignette: The Rebar Dilemma
By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon
Martin Smith, a new associate at an LBO firm, must respond to a problem posed by his boss, based on an historical deal that suddenly came undone. After months of negotiation, his firm's plan to buy a bankrupt competitor of one of its portfolio companies and close it... View Details
- February 2002 (Revised May 2003)
- Case
Endeca Technologies (A)
By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon
Steve Papa, CEO of Endeca Technologies, must decide among two term sheets raising the same amount of badly needed money for his young software company. One deal is led by insiders and, is offered at a lower price. It continues a board that has worked very well and... View Details
- May 2001
- Article
The Open Source Movement: Key Research Questions
By: Josh Lerner and Jean Tirole
The paper analyzes the incentives of individual programmers and of commercial companies to participate in open source projects. While these incentives are in our opinion well accounted for by the economic paradigm, much empirical and theoretical work is still needed to... View Details
- January 1996
- Case
Outrage in Cyberspace: CompuServe and the GIF Patent
By: Josh Lerner and Benjamin Conway
CompuServe, an online services vendor, informs its software developers that they must enter into a licensing agreement to use the popular GIF compression. CompuServe claims that it is forced to do so because Unisys is enforcing its patent rights in this area. Others... View Details
- September 1995 (Revised May 1998)
- Case
RogersCasey Alternative Investments: Innovative Response to the Distribution Challenge
By: Josh Lerner
RogersCasey Alternative Investments faces the challenge of managing distributions of stock by the private equity investors in which their clients have invested. These distributed shares appear to behave in complex ways, apparently at odds with market efficiency. A... View Details
- January 1995 (Revised November 1995)
- Case
Candela Laser vs. Cynosure, Inc.
By: Josh Lerner and Benjamin Conway
Summarizes the lawsuit by Candela Laser against its former CEO and founder, who has begun a competing firm. The extent of patent and trade secret protection are crucial issues. View Details
- January 1995
- Background Note
A Note on Distribution of Venture Investments
By: Josh Lerner
Venture capitalists typically exit investments by distributing shares to investors. These transfers pose challenges for these investors. Predictions and evidence about the behavior of stock prices of firms around the time of these distributions are presented. View Details
- January 1994 (Revised April 2011)
- Background Note
Note on Private Equity Partnership Agreements
By: Josh Lerner
Venture capital by necessity is a long-run investment. Consequently, since the mid-1960s virtually all venture financing has been raised through private partnerships with a ten-year or longer life span. To govern these investments, complex contracts have sprung up... View Details
- December 1992 (Revised September 1996)
- Case
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation (Abridged)
By: Josh Lerner
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp., a development-stage biotechnology company, is considering making an initial offering of common stock. The rationales for and problems of high-technology start-ups are explored. The challenges posed by "windows" for public offerings are... View Details
- October 1992 (Revised November 1997)
- Case
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation (A): March 1991
By: Josh Lerner
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp., a development-stage biotechnology company, is considering making an initial offering of common stock. The diverse perspectives of the entrepreneur, venture capitalist, investment banker, and institutional investor are explored. Problems... View Details
- Forthcoming
- Article
The (Heterogenous) Economic Effects of Private Equity Buyouts
By: Steven J. Davis, John Haltiwanger, Kyle Handley, Ben Lipsius, Josh Lerner and Javier Miranda
The effects of private equity buyouts on employment, productivity, and job reallocation vary
tremendously with macroeconomic and credit conditions, across private equity groups, and by
type of buyout. We reach this conclusion by examining the most extensive... View Details