29261 - Intellectual Property Economics

Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Law and Economics (cod. 9221)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Law and Economics (cod. 0899)

Learning outcomes

Students will become familiar with the main issues in the economics of innovation and intellectual property. They will understand the trade-off society faces when designing intellectual property rights optimally, and the way these rights may be exploited by private firms to acquire a competitive advantage over rivals.

Course contents

1. Types of Intellectual Property Rights

2. Innovation and market failure

3. Private and social value of innovations

4. Models of investment in R&D

5. Optimal protection of intellectual property

6. Optimal combination of breadth and length

7. Sequential innovation

8 Patents v. secrets

9 Complementary innovation

Readings/Bibliography

S. Scotchmer, Innovation and Incentives, MIT Press, 2004

Teaching methods

Lectures

Assessment methods

Written final exam

Teaching tools

Lectures notes and additional readings will be handed out

Office hours

See the website of Vincenzo Denicolò