ABSTRACT
Taking the opposite of the standard vision of intellectual property develop ed within the frame of the Arrow model (1962), most empirical studies show that the primary role of patents is not necessarily to exclude imitators and to secure monopoly positions. Patents are flexible instruments that can serve a multitude of different strategies. Among others, in line with the work of Chesbrough (2003), patents often have a role of coordination of innovative activities; they help to structure open innovation (Cohendet and Pénin, 2011). Moreover, empirical studies also highlight that the use of patents is not uniform across firms and across sectors (Levin et al., 1987; Cohen et al., 2000).
