Per unit and ad valorem royalties in a patent licensing game

Montinaro, Marta and Scrimitore, Marcella (2019): Per unit and ad valorem royalties in a patent licensing game.

Abstract

In a context of product innovation, we study two-part tariff licensing between a patentee and a potential rival which compete in a differentiated product market characterized by network externalities. The latter are shown to crucially affect the relative profitability of Cournot vs. Bertrand when a per unit royalty is applied. By contrast, we find that Cournot yields higher profits than Bertrand under ad valorem royalties, regardless of the strength of network effects.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: licensing, product innovation, bertrand vs. cournot, network effects
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D4 - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design > D43 - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection; L - Industrial Organization > L1 - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance > L13 - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L20 - General

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