{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T01:57:46Z","timestamp":1772589466100,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,21]],"date-time":"2024-03-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1710979200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004794","name":"Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CNRS-CSIC 2018 IRP ALLIES"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CNRS-CSIC 2018 IRP ALLIES"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004794","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"IP2I"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001665","name":"Agence Nationale de la Recherche","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ANR-17-CE26-0014-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ANR-17-CE26-0014-01"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001665","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004794","name":"Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CNRS-CSIC 2018 IRP ALLIES"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CNRS-CSIC 2018 IRP ALLIES"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004794","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"IP2I"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001665","name":"Agence Nationale de la Recherche","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ANR-17-CE26-0014-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ANR-17-CE26-0014-01"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001665","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>This paper delves into the proliferation of non-practicing entities (NPEs), a hot topic in academia and public policy, especially in the United States. The common belief is that Europe is less exposed to NPEs due to a robust patent system, higher enforcement costs, and smaller damage awards. Yet, using a new database of NPE patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO), the study uncovers that NPEs activity in Europe is arising: they own nearly 20,000 EPO patents, primarily in Electrical Engineering. Moreover, we contribute the literature investigating the heterogeneity of the NPE business model and its relationship with the characteristics and use of the patents they target. Our econometric analysis provides threefold original evidence. First, NPEs with higher propensity for litigation (i.e., \u201cLitigation\u201d NPEs) acquire patents with higher infringement risk but similar technological quality than practicing entities. Second, patent aggregators (i.e., \u201cPortfolio\u201d NPEs) and technology companies (i.e., \u201cTechnology\u201d NPEs) acquire higher-quality patents compared to those acquired by practicing entities. Third, patent acquisitions by \u201cLitigation\u201d NPEs and \u201cPortfolio\u201d NPEs reduce the subsequent use of protected technologies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/icc\/dtae010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,22]],"date-time":"2024-03-22T11:49:10Z","timestamp":1711108150000},"page":"1271-1297","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Non-practicing entities in Europe: an empirical analysis of patent acquisitions at the European Patent Office"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"33","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3828-8420","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valerio","family":"Sterzi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INRAE, BSE, UMR 6060, UMR 1441 , 6 Avenue Leon Duguit, Pessac 33600, France . e-mail: valerio.sterzi@u-bordeaux.fr"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-6629-1395","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cecilia","family":"Maronero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INRAE, BSE, UMR 6060, UMR 1441 , 6 Avenue Leon Duguit, Pessac 33600, France . e-mail: valerio.sterzi@u-bordeaux.fr"},{"name":"InsIDE Lab - Department of Economics (DiEco), University of Insubria , Via Monte Generoso, 71, Varese 21100, Italy . e-mail: cmaronero@studenti.uninsubria.it ; e-mail: andrea.vezzulli@uninsubria.it"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0018-8543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluca","family":"Orsatti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis, University of Turin , Lungo Dora Siena 100, Turin 10153, Italy . e-mail: gianluca.orsatti@unito.it"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2360-5112","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Vezzulli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"InsIDE Lab - Department of Economics (DiEco), University of Insubria , Via Monte Generoso, 71, Varese 21100, Italy . e-mail: cmaronero@studenti.uninsubria.it ; e-mail: andrea.vezzulli@uninsubria.it"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"2024080217012697700_R1","article-title":"The patent troll: benign middleman or stick-up artist?","volume-title":"Technical report","author":"Abrams","year":"2019"},{"key":"2024080217012697700_R2","first-page":"1","article-title":"An update of challenges and possible solutions related to ICT patents: the perspective of European stakeholders","author":"Blind","year":"2021","journal-title":"Technology Analysis & Strategic Management"},{"issue":"8","key":"2024080217012697700_R3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1666","DOI":"10.1002\/smj.3382","article-title":"The influence of patent assertion entities on inventor behavior","volume":"43","author":"Chari","year":"2022","journal-title":"Strategic Management Journal"},{"issue":"3","key":"2024080217012697700_R4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.respol.2022.104702","article-title":"Chilling 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