Institutionalized Incentives for Ingenuity: Patent Value and the German Employees' Invention

Dietmar Harhoff; Karin Hoisl

doi:10.1016/j.respol.2007.07.010

Institutionalized Incentives for Ingenuity: Patent Value and the German Employees' Invention

Dietmar Harhoff, Karin Hoisl

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Germany is one of few countries in which the monetary compensation for inventors is not only determined by negotiations between employer and employee-inventor, but also by relatively precise legal provisions. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of the German Employees’ Inventions Act (GEIA) and discuss which incentives it creates. We rely on responses from a recent survey of 3350 German inventors to test hypotheses regarding this institution. We conclude from our data that the law creates substantial monetary rewards for productive inventors. The qualitative responses from our survey confirm this view, but also point to a number of dysfunctional effects.

Original language	English
Journal	Research Policy
Volume	36
Issue number	8
Pages (from-to)	1143-1162
Number of pages	19
ISSN	0048-7333
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2007.07.010
Publication status	Published - Oct 2007
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Employee-Inventor
Inventor Compensation
Patent Value
Productivity

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Cite this

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title = "Institutionalized Incentives for Ingenuity: Patent Value and the German Employees' Invention",

abstract = "Germany is one of few countries in which the monetary compensation for inventors is not only determined by negotiations between employer and employee-inventor, but also by relatively precise legal provisions. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of the German Employees{\textquoteright} Inventions Act (GEIA) and discuss which incentives it creates. We rely on responses from a recent survey of 3350 German inventors to test hypotheses regarding this institution. We conclude from our data that the law creates substantial monetary rewards for productive inventors. The qualitative responses from our survey confirm this view, but also point to a number of dysfunctional effects.",

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AB - Germany is one of few countries in which the monetary compensation for inventors is not only determined by negotiations between employer and employee-inventor, but also by relatively precise legal provisions. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of the German Employees’ Inventions Act (GEIA) and discuss which incentives it creates. We rely on responses from a recent survey of 3350 German inventors to test hypotheses regarding this institution. We conclude from our data that the law creates substantial monetary rewards for productive inventors. The qualitative responses from our survey confirm this view, but also point to a number of dysfunctional effects.

KW - Employee-Inventor

KW - Inventor Compensation

KW - Patent Value

KW - Productivity

KW - Employee-Inventor

KW - Inventor Compensation

KW - Patent Value

KW - Productivity

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