The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Olof Ejermo. Photo.

Olof Ejermo

Professor

Olof Ejermo. Photo.

University invention and the abolishment of the professor's privilege in Finland

Author

  • Olof Ejermo
  • Hannes Toivanen

Summary, in English

In 2007 Finland changed ownership rights to inventions from its employees - "the professor's privilege" - to universities. We investigate how this change affected academic patenting using new data on inventors and patenting in Finland for the period 1995-2010. Matched sample panel data regressions using difference-in-differences show that patenting by individuals dropped by at least 29 percent after 2007. Unlike other countries studied, in Finland the reform was known before implementation. Adding the period after announcement to the reform period increases the drop in academic patenting to 46 percent. Our and others' results call into question whether the European reform of the professor's privilege were good innovation policy.

Department/s

  • CIRCLE
  • Department of Economic History

Publishing year

2018-05

Language

English

Pages

814-825

Publication/Series

Research Policy

Volume

47

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Keywords

  • Academic patenting
  • Finland
  • Professor's privilege
  • University ownership

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0048-7333