(127e) Dealing with Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Patents and Defensive Publications

Disruptive innovations, as defined in the works of Clayton Christensen of the Harvard School of Business, pose special challenges for established companies. Here we address a gap in the literature by identifying the role that intellectual assets can play in dealing with the threats and opportunities posed by disruptive innovations. The systemic tendency for companies to ignore disruptive threats or to kill disruptive opportunities can be mitigated through the use of some low-cost IA strategies to be discussed in light of practical experiences.