Current policy issues in the governance of the European patent system

The European Parliament has been working towards building a discussion platform and a resource for further policy actions in the field of intellectual property rights. The Science and Technology Options Assessment Panel has set the goal of further enlarging the area of investigation in light of recent policy developments at the European level. In particular, the current study covers current policy issues in the governance of the European patent system, such as the backlog issue, the enhancement of patent awareness within the European Parliament, patent enforcement, the regional dimension of intellectual property in Europe, patents and standardisation, the use of existing patents, and patents and competition. These issues were discussed in the conference with stakeholders from European to national patent offices, from private to public sector actors. As a result of the conference, it was stated the need for an IP strategy for Europ

Network strategies for the new economy

In this paper we argue that the pace and scale of development in the information and communication technology industries (ICT) has had and continues to have major effects on the industry economics and competitive dynamics generally. We maintain that the size of changes in demand and supply conditions is forcing companies to make significant changes in the way they conceive and implement their strategies. We decompose the ICT industries into four levels, technology standards, supply chains, physical platforms, and consumer networks. The nature of these technologies and their cost characteristics coupled with higher degrees of knowledge specialisation is impelling companies to radical revisions of their attitudes towards cooperation and co-evolution with suppliers and customers. Where interdependencies between customers are particularly strong, we anticipate the possibility of winner-takes-all strategies. In these circumstances industry risks become very high and there will be significant consequences for competitive markets

CHOICE_ WP2_D2.1_ Online mapping of Chinese and European ICT industrial associations

Funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. Grant Agreement: 61057

D2,1 Online mapping of Chinese and European ICT industrial as sociations – Progress report

This document is the first deliverable of CHOICE project task 2.2 Bringing together European and Chinese Industrial Associations. This task will, at the end of the second year of the project, have delivered a final version of an online database of relevant Chinese and European ICT industrial associations. This document is a report on the progress towards an online database of relevant Chinese and European ICT industrial associations. It maps Chinese industrial associations to European industrial associations in ICT. It does this by providing details of the Chinese industrial associations and other relevant bodies that are a Chinese priority for collaboration with their EU counterparts related to EU-China collaborative ICT R&D&I. Other such Chinese bodies that are not a Chinese priority for such collaboration that map to European industrial associations in ICT are then summarised so that a complete mapping of Chinese industrial associations and related bodies to European industrial associations in ICT can be made

D2.7 Online mapping of Chinese and European ICT industrial associations – Final report

This document is a deliverable of CHOICE project task 2.2 Bringing together European and Chinese Industrial Associations. This task will, at the end of the project, have delivered a final version of an online database of relevant Chinese and European ICT industrial associations. This document is a report on the information gathered for the development of the online database of relevant Chinese and European ICT industrial associations. It maps Chinese industrial associations to European industrial associations in ICT. It does this by providing details of the Chinese industrial associations and other relevant bodies that are a Chinese priority for collaboration with their EU counterparts related to EU-China collaborative ICT R&D&I. Other such Chinese bodies that are not a Chinese priority for such collaboration that map to European industrial associations in ICT are then summarised so that a complete mapping of Chinese industrial associations and related bodies to European industrial associations in ICT can be made. Mappings are made based on the best matches in terms of the subject matter covered by the associations, in each case the best match based on this criteria is identified and highlighted by being given in bold type. If a mapped Chinese association is not a priority for collaboration it is identified in italics. The Chinese selection of Chinese bodies that are a priority for collaboration with EU counterparts reflects the relevant policy guidance provided on behalf of the Chinese government on how the aims of the "Twelfth Five-Year" National Strategic Emerging Industry Development Plan are to be achieved. An overview of the policy guidance relevant to ICT R&D&I is given in section one of CHOICE deliverable D2.4: Handbook for China ICT Industrial Support Services. Based on this mapping opportunities to foster interaction between the associations in China and Europe are identified. A DVD of the modest database that exists on the basis of the mapping presented in this report accompanies the report

Understanding International Product Strategy in Multinational Corporations through New Product Development Approaches and Evolution

International product strategy regarding global standardisation and local adaptation is one of the challenges faced by multinational corporations (MNCs). Studies in this area have tested the antecedents and consequences of standardisation/adaptation, but lack a new product development (NPD) perspective. In this study, we explore how product standardisation/adaptation is determined in the NPD context. Through a qualitative case study of four MNCs, we found three NPD approaches: multi-local, adaptation-based and platform-based. We analysed the advantages and challenges of each approach. In addition, we reveal how the factors (development of information and communication technology, competition pressure, brand awareness and technical capability) could influence the choice of a certain NPD approach. We draw implications on the paths to ensuring full leveraging of the benefits of a platform-based approach