INVENTOR DISRUPTION IN THE WAKE OF PATENT LITIGATION

Prior research on inventor collaboration and their mobility has emphasized how disruptive events such as technological acquisitions or the death of collaborators can impact inventors. However, the impact of adverse events like patent litigation has largely been ignored. We fill this gap by first examining the impact of patent litigation on inventors' mobility between firms. We propose and find that inventor mobility is negatively affected by patent litigation. Additionally, we examine the impact of formation of collaborative relationships between sued inventors and her colleagues. We find evidence that litigation affects the inventor's collaborative patterns.