Linus Dahlander

APPROPRIATION AND APPROPRIABILITY IN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

Firms in open source software (OSS) are active in a field encompassing all the characteristics of a public good, given the non-excludability and non-rivalry nature of OSS. The fact that many important inputs to the innovative process are public should not be taken to mean that innovators are prevented from capturing private returns. The objective of this paper is to explore how firms appropriate returns from innovations that are created outside the boundaries of firms and in the public domain, using the case of OSS. To do so, the paper draws upon an explorative multiple case study of five small firms that attempt to appropriate returns from OSS, with rich empirical evidence from various data sources. The cases illustrate how firms try a variety of approaches to appropriate adequate returns, and suggest that selling services is the dominant trend. Firms also balance the relative inefficiency of traditional means of intellectual property rights such as patents by putting greater emphasis on first-mover advantages and creating network externalities.

Who is not developing open source software? non-users, users, and developers

The development of knowledge requires investment, which may be made in terms of financial resources or time. Open source software (OSS) has challenged much of the traditional reasoning by suggesting that individuals behave altruistically and contribute to a public good, despite the opportunity to free-ride. The lion’s share of the existing literature on OSS examines communities, that is, those individuals whom are already part of the OSS community. In contrast, this paper starts from users with the requisite skill to use and develop OSS. This group of skilled individuals could potentially invest into the development of OSS knowledge, but they may or may not do so in actuality. This paper, therefore, explores three issues, which have not been extensively explored in the literature, namely, (1) how frequently a group of skilled people use OSS, (2) reasons for differences among users and non-users in terms of use and attitudes, and (3) how frequently, and why, some users contribute to OSS projects (and thereby become developers). In doing so, we consider the opportunity costs of use and development of OSS, which has been largely neglected in the literature. We find that the individuals have a rather pragmatic attitude to firms and that many are active in both firms and OSS community, which raises many questions for future research about the role and influence of firms on the development and diffusion of OSS.

The occurrence and spatial distribution of collaboration: biotech firms in Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract This paper deals with the occurrence and spatial distribution of collaborations within biotechnology. By starting from a total population of 45 firms involved in biotech R&D, we shed light on how many collaborate with (1) other firms, (2) venture capitalists, and (3) actors in science and technology and whether these partners can be found in the region, nation or in the rest of the world. Possible explanations for the different patterns are drawn out.

The Dynamics of Regional Specialization in Modern Biotechnology: Comparing Two Regions in Sweden and Two Regions in Australia , 1977-2001

This book offers a novel insight into the economic dynamics of modern biotechnology, using examples from Europe to reflect global trends. The authors apply theoretical insight to a fundamental enigma of the modern learning society, namely, how and why the development of knowledge and ideas interact with market processes and the formation of industries and firms.