Title: Knowledge transfer in open innovation through licensing: evidence of Chinese firms

Authors: Cécile Ayerbe; Liliana Mitkova; Die Hu; Yuandi Wang

Addresses: University Côte d'Azur, GREDEG CNRS, Nice, France ' LITEM, University Evry, Evry, France; IMT-BS, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France ' School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China ' Business School of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

Abstract: This article aims at analysing technological knowledge transfer through the implementation of open innovation (OI) in China thanks to patent licensing. It addresses the following question: What are the open processes based on patent licensing used by Chinese firms to share their knowledge? Knowledge sharing is investigated through three recognised processes: out-licensing, in-licensing and coupled ones. While previous studies have enriched our understanding of a specific openness process (mostly in-licensing), they give the limited empirical evidence of these three processes. Our research extends these studies by outlining the deployment of the three processes by Chinese firms. It contributes to a comprehensive approach of knowledge sharing by shedding light on their relationships.

Keywords: Chinese firms; knowledge transfer; licensing; open innovation; out-licensing; in-licensing; coupled process.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2022.123737

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2022 Vol.13 No.3, pp.311 - 340

Received: 07 Dec 2020
Accepted: 22 May 2021
Published online: 01 Jul 2022 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article