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Optimal licensing contracts with a downstream oligopoly: insider versus outsider innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Tsung-Sheng Tsai

    (National Taiwan University)

  • Cheng-Tai Wu

    (Fu Jen Catholic University)

Abstract

In the literature that deals with cost-reduction technology licensing in an oligopolistic downstream market, the paper by Sen and Tauman (Games Econ Behav 59:163–186, 2007) has been a milestone in that it thoroughly characterizes the optimal licensing contracts for both cases of insider and outsider innovation under complete information. However, when determining the licensee’s fee payment to obtain the license through an auction, their treatments for different numbers of licensees are inconsistent. We instead use a consistent approach that can be applied to all numbers of licensees, in which a firm’s reservation payoff is determined by its Cournot profit if it rejects the contract. We find that the optimal contract is for both the insider and outsider innovator to sell the license to all downstream firms. We also show that an insider innovator sets a (weakly) higher royalty rate and generates a (weakly) lower social welfare than an outsider innovator.

Suggested Citation

  • Tsung-Sheng Tsai & Cheng-Tai Wu, 2022. "Optimal licensing contracts with a downstream oligopoly: insider versus outsider innovation," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 10(1), pages 147-165, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:etbull:v:10:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s40505-022-00224-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s40505-022-00224-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. X. H. Wang & Bill Z. Yang, 1999. "On Licensing Under Bertrand Competition," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 106-119, June.
    2. Stefano Colombo & Siyu Ma & Debapriya Sen & Yair Tauman, 2021. "Equivalence between fixed fee and ad valorem profit royalty," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 23(5), pages 1052-1073, October.
    3. Sen, Debapriya & Tauman, Yair, 2007. "General licensing schemes for a cost-reducing innovation," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 163-186, April.
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    7. Wang, X. Henry, 1998. "Fee versus royalty licensing in a Cournot duopoly model," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 55-62, July.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technology licensing; Oligopoly; Insider innovator; Outsider innovator;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • D45 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Rationing; Licensing
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures

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