Open Innovation and Open Knowledge Disclosure

ABSTRACT

1. The importance of joint research for the purpose of searching for new fields has been increasing along with advances in open innovation, and there is a possibility that open knowledge disclosure works as a “signal” to potential joint research partners. Therefore, in technological fields where collaboration with other companies is important, it is possible that the objective of open knowledge disclosure has changed from the traditional intellectual property strategy known as the “defensive publication”.

2. This paper analyzes the role of open knowledge disclosure in open innovation from a case study of IBM. Specifically, the role of open knowledge disclosure in the telecommunications field, in which IBM has conducted many open joint research projects with various companies, is analyzed using the patent data of IBM, focusing on the existence of the defensive publication.

3. The results imply that IBM may have conducted the defensive publication in the telecommunications field. In addition, it tends to avoid open knowledge disclosure before applying for patents on technologies considered to have higher importance in its global strategy. This suggests that the importance of conventional intellectual property strategy has not diminished even in open innovation.