In our writing about markets for ideas, Scott Stern and I emphasised the risk that start-ups face in trying to sell their ideas to incumbents. We suggest that for that reason incumbents who want to purchase ideas from start-ups will want to gain a reputation for fair trading. In that context, whomever is right in the following story, Google’s reputation might suffer. Read more »
There was been lots of discussion about whether a Googlopoly is a good or bad thing. Sure they may have a virtual monopoly on search but they are somewhat of a benevolent one so what is the problem. But even with benevolence, there can be a lack of diversity. So when a friend told me that they were going to be doing lots of work for Microsoft to ensure that there were a variety of search options, I decided to think just a little about it. Read more »
The iPhone will be in Australia as of July 11. It will be 3G and the latest version. At the moment, only Optus and Vodafone are selling it so it is hard to say whether it will be locked or not. Optus, my current mobile carrier, allows you to pre-register with a $100 fully refundable deposit (in 5 days) that will give you some sort of priority to an iPhone. I am not sure what that means but to find out I registered. I’ll be coming back to this later today as we learn more. But it is great to see Australia emerging from the backwater. Read more »
As I have written before (here and here), the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a remarkably efficient way of rewarding innovators while ensuring low price dissemination of pharmaceuticals. A new paper by Frank R. Lichtenberg and Gautier Duflos documents just how efficient (abstract over the fold). It looks like getting drugs earlier gives you on average a year more life. Read more »
My colleague, Dan Hunter, and John Quiggin have a new paper out entitled “Money Ruins Everything.” The paper looks at the new platforms for amateur ‘innovation.’ Their main examples are the Internet, blogs, citizen journalism and open source software. In each case, the main providers of services are not your traditional corporates with large capital budgets. Read more »
John McCain has proposed a $300 million prize for car batteries:
“I further propose we inspire the ingenuity and resolve of the American people,” Mr. McCain said, “by offering a $300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.”
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For those who are entrepreneurs or would like to know what the experience of real entrepreneurship is really like, here is a new site set by Richard Caro that collects those stories.
James Brander, Edward Egan and Thomas Hellmann have a new paper out that examines the Canadian venture capital industry and compares government sponsored and private sources of this. They find: Read more »
My colleague, Dan Hunter, and John Quiggin have a new paper out entitled “Money Ruins Everything.” The paper looks at the new platforms for amateur ‘innovation.’ Their main examples are the Internet, blogs, citizen journalism and open source software. In each case, the main providers of services are not your traditional corporates with large capital budgets. Read more »
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