Trois essais sur les "patents pools" et les standards technologiques

Cette thèse s’intéresse à l'impact des « patent pools » sur l’innovation cumulative. Nous analysons huit patents pools modernes développés dans les secteurs des technologies de l’information et de la communication. Un patent pool est un regroupement de propriétaires de brevets qui permet la négociation d’une seule licence pour plusieurs brevets essentiels à l’implémentation des normes techniques. Les patent pools font l’objet de nombreux travaux théoriques et empiriques. Ces travaux notent le risque collusif et monopolistique existant au sein de ces institutions. Cependant, la majorité des travaux se concentre principalement sur les facteurs qui motivent une entreprise à se joindre à un patent pool et non pas l’évolution des normes techniques au fil du temps.This thesis investigates the impact of patent pools for technical standards on the direction of cumulative innovation. It examines eight modern patents pools in the information and communication technology sector and measures the effect of pool formation and pool extension on rates of follow-on innovation in the direction of pool technology. Patent pools are the subject of much theoretical and empirical work. The aim of this thesis is to fill a gap in current literature that focuses on the motivations of firms to join a patent pool. This thesis contributes to the literature by extending analyses to the introduction of patents to patent pools over time. It consists of three empirical studies. Patent pools as institutions possess mechanisms that encourage and discourage innovation. The formation of a patent pool and its extension as a result of the addition of patents to the patent pool after its launch may alter the incentives to innovate of outsider firms. This, in turn, may have important impacts on competition and society. Finally, this thesis also analyzes the evolution of an industry that is particularly linked to technology in patents pools—the film industry. Digitization has transformed movie distribution and technological disruption has altered the supply and demand dimensions of this market. The main findings of these three studies are presented at the beginning of each chapter