The availability, strength and efficiency of appropriability mechanisms - protecting investments in knowledge creation

Innovations that show signs of becoming successful are very likely to be widely imitated. Therefore, making intellectual assets proprietary and taking control over them may be critical in terms of getting adequate returns on investments. There are several mechanisms a firm can use to build a protective fence around its innovations. These mechanisms are very different in terms of their availability and strength in protecting intangibles, for example and their efficiency on the strategic level, meaning their suitability for the aims of the company also varies a lot. These three dimensions of appropriability are, therefore, worth closer examination.