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Publications

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  • All HBS Web  (20)
    • News  (1)
    • Research  (17)
  • Faculty Publications  (6)

Show Results For

  • All HBS Web  (20)
    • News  (1)
    • Research  (17)
  • Faculty Publications  (6)
Page 1 of 20 Results
  • 2018
  • Working Paper

Patent Trolls: Evidence from Targeted Firms

By: Lauren Cohen, Umit G. Gurun and Scott Duke Kominers
We provide the first large-sample evidence on the behavior and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. We find that on average, NPEs appear to behave as opportunistic “patent trolls.” NPEs sue cash-rich firms—and target cash in... View Details
Keywords: Patent Trolls; NPEs; PAEs; Innovation; Patents; Ethics; Lawsuits and Litigation; Innovation and Invention; Corporate Finance
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Cohen, Lauren, Umit G. Gurun, and Scott Duke Kominers. "Patent Trolls: Evidence from Targeted Firms." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-002, July 2014. (Revised June 2018.)
  • 2017
  • Chapter

Empirical Evidence on the Behavior and Impact of Patent Trolls: A Survey

By: Lauren Cohen, Umit Gurun and Scott Duke Kominers
We survey the empirical literature on non-practicing entity (NPE) litigation behavior and its consequences. We document both aggregate trends and cross-sectional differences amongst various types of NPEs. Survey evidence illustrates a number of ways in which NPEs can... View Details
Keywords: Patent Trolls; NPEs; PAEs; Innovation; Patents; Lawsuits and Litigation; Innovation and Invention
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Cohen, Lauren, Umit Gurun, and Scott Duke Kominers. "Empirical Evidence on the Behavior and Impact of Patent Trolls: A Survey." In Patent Assertion Entities and Competition Policy, edited by D. Daniel Sokol. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

    Patent Trolls

    We develop a theoretical model of, and provide the first large-sample evidence on, the behavior and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. Our model shows that NPE litigation can reduce infringement and support small inventors.... View Details

    • December 2019
    • Article

    Patent Trolls: Evidence from Targeted Firms

    By: Lauren Cohen, Umit Gurun and Scott Duke Kominers
    We provide the first large-sample evidence on the behavior and impact of nonpracticing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual-property space. We find that, on average, NPEs appear to behave as opportunistic “patent trolls.” NPEs sue cash-rich firms and target cash in... View Details
    Keywords: Patent Trolls; Innovation; Patents; Lawsuits and Litigation; Ethics; Innovation and Invention
    Citation
    SSRN
    Find at Harvard
    Related
    Cohen, Lauren, Umit Gurun, and Scott Duke Kominers. "Patent Trolls: Evidence from Targeted Firms." Management Science 65, no. 12 (December 2019): 5461–5486. (Cited in the United States Federal Trade Commission Report on Patent Assertion Entities, 2016.)
    • 29 Aug 2014
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Patent Trolls

    Keywords: by Lauren Cohen, Umit G. Gurun & Scott Duke Kominers
    • 04 Mar 2015
    • News

    Patent trolls: Why no one likes them

      Patent Trolls: Evidence and Proposed Solutions

       

      The Growing Problem of Patent Trolling • SCIENCE • VIDEO

      View Details

      • Article

      The Growing Problem of Patent Trolling

      By: Lauren Cohen, Umit Gurun and Scott Duke Kominers
      The last decade has seen a sharp rise in patent litigation in the U.S., with 2015 having one of the highest patent lawsuit counts on record. In theory, this could be a consequence of growth in the commercialization of technology and innovation—patent lawsuits increase... View Details
      Keywords: Patent Aggregators; Patent Litigation; Patent Pools; Patent Trolls; Patents; Lawsuits and Litigation; United States
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      Cohen, Lauren, Umit Gurun, and Scott Duke Kominers. "The Growing Problem of Patent Trolling." Science 352, no. 6285 (April 29, 2016): 521–522. (Explanatory Video.)
      • 20 Aug 2014
      • Research & Ideas

      Dragging Patent Trolls Into the Light

      looks overwhelmingly like NPEs are just targeting firms that are more likely to pay out” Known as Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs), the companies in the Baxter Building are located in Marshall for one reason: the federal courthouse next... View Details
      Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Legal Services
      • 13 Sep 2016
      • First Look

      September 13, 2016

      of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. Our model shows that NPE litigation can reduce infringement and support small inventors. However, the model also shows that as NPEs... View Details
      • 10 May 2016
      • First Look

      May 10, 2016

      targeted firms. These results suggest a need to check the power of NPEs through changes in U.S. IP policy, in particular to screen out trolling early in the litigation process. Publisher's link:... View Details
      Keywords: Carmen Nobel
      • 28 Jul 2015
      • First Look

      First Look: July 28, 2015

      Gurun, and Scott Kominers Abstract—We develop a theoretical model of, and provide the first large-sample evidence on, the behavior and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. Our model shows that NPE... View Details
      Keywords: Carmen Nobel
      • 22 Jul 2014
      • First Look

      First Look: July 22

      and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. Heterogeneity in innovation, given a cost of commercialization, results in NPEs that choose to act as "patent trolls" that chase operating firms'... View Details
      Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
      • 26 Aug 2014
      • First Look

      First Look: August 26

      results in NPEs that choose to act as "patent trolls" that chase operating firms' innovations even if those innovations are not clearly infringing on the NPEs' patents. We support these predictions using a novel, large dataset... View Details
      Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
      • 19 May 2016
      • Research Event

      Crowdsourcing, Patent Trolls, and Other Research Insights Highlighted at Harvard Business School Symposium

      these suits are being brought by nonpracticing entities (NPEs), firms that don’t actually generate products, but collect massive amounts of patent portfolios. Lauren H. Cohen, the L.E. Simmons Professor in the Finance Unit at HBS, said evidence shows View Details
      Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman & Carmen Nobel
      • 06 Nov 2018
      • First Look

      New Research and Ideas, November 6, 2018

      average, NPEs appear to behave as opportunistic “patent trolls.” NPEs sue cash-rich firms and target cash in business segments unrelated to alleged infringement at essentially the same frequency as they... View Details
      Keywords: Dina Gerdeman
      • 21 Feb 2017
      • First Look

      First Look at New Research: February 21

      Targeted Firms By: Cohen, Lauren, Umit G. Gurun, and Scott Duke Kominers Abstract—We develop a theoretical model of, and provide the first large-sample evidence on, the behavior and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. Our model... View Details
      Keywords: Carmen Nobel
      • 14 Jun 2016
      • First Look

      June 14, 2016

      types of NPEs. Survey evidence illustrates a number of ways in which NPEs can potentially act opportunistically and indicates at least some instances and consequences of observed NPE opportunism.... View Details
      Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
      • 25 Apr 2017
      • First Look

      First Look at New Research, April 25

      develop a theoretical model of, and provide the first large-sample evidence on, the behavior and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. Our model shows that NPE litigation can reduce infringement and... View Details
      Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
      • 26 Jun 2018
      • First Look

      New Research and Ideas, June 26, 2018

      first large-sample evidence on the behavior and impact of non-practicing entities (NPEs) in the intellectual property space. We find that on average, NPEs appear to behave as opportunistic “patent trolls.” View Details
      Keywords: Dina Gerdeman
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