Timothy Simcoe

Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar Professor, Strategy and Innovation

Professor Simcoe’s research covers topics in innovation, technology, intellectual property and corporate strategy. He is an expert in the area of standards and standards development. He has consulted for major corporations in the information technology sector. In 2014-15, Professor Simcoe served as a Senior Economist on President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. He has previously worked at the University of Toronto and Ernst & Young LLP.

Tim Simcoe received his A.B. in Applied Math and Economics from Harvard University, and he also holds an M.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and an editor at several journals, including Management Science.

    Education
  • PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 2004
  • MA, University of California, Berkeley, 2003
  • AB, Harvard College, 1996
    Publications
  • Righi, C., Simcoe, T. (In Press). "Patenting Inventions or Inventing Patents? Continuation Practice at the USPTO", RAND Journal of Economics
  • Righi, C., Simcoe, T. (In Press). "Patent Examiner Specialization", SSRN Electronic Journal
  • Bekkers, R., Catalini, C., Martinelli, A., Righi, C., Simcoe, T. (2023). "Disclosure Rules and Declared Essential Patents", Research Policy, 52 (1)
  • Simcoe, T., Li, X. (2021). "Competing or Complementary Labels? Estimating Spillovers in Chinese Green Building Certification.", Strategic Management Journal, 42 (13), 2451-2476
  • Simcoe, T., Watson, J. (2019). "Forking, Fragmentation, and Splintering", Strategy Science, 4 (4), 283-297
  • Catillon, M., Gertler, P., Simcoe, T. (2019). "Who Benefits Most in Disease Management Programs?: Improving Target Efficiency", Health Economics, 28 (2), 189-203
  • Simcoe, T., Toffel, M. (2018). "Environmental Platform LEEDership at USGBC", HBS Press
  • Goldfarb, B., King, A., Simcoe, T. (2018). "Heritability of Trust and Distrust Remains Unknown.", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115 (10), E2149-E2150
  • Simcoe, T., Righi, C. (2017). Standards, patents and innovation."Handbook of Innovation and Standards", Edward Elgar Publishing
  • Simcoe, T. (2017). How to Make and Keep a Patent Pledge. In , Contreras, J., M, Jacob. (Eds.), "Patent Pledges: Global Perspectives on Patent Law's Private Ordering Frontier", Edward Elgar 285-290
  • Simcoe, T., Shampine, A. (2017). Economics of patents and standardization: network effects, hold-up, hold-out, stacking."The Cambridge Handbook of Technical Standardization Law: Competition, Antitrust, and Patents", Cambridge University Press
  • Contreras, J., Biddle, B., Chien, C., Knebel, D., Lemley, M., Lim, D., Love, B., Menell, P., Miller, J., Simcoe, T., Vertinsky, L., Winston, E. (2016). "Comments of Law and Business Scholars Submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Regarding a Proposed Update to the Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property", University of Utah College of Law Research Paper (182)
  • Simcoe, T. (2015). Modularity and the Evolution of the Internet."Economic Analysis of the Digital Economy", University of Chicago Press
  • Simcoe, T. (2014). "Governing the Anti-commons: Institutional Design for Standard Setting Organizations", University of Chicago Press, 14 99-128
  • Agrawal, A., Graham, S., Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2014). "Industry standards, intellectual property, and innovation: Introduction to the special issue", International Journal of Industrial Organization (36), 1-3
  • Simcoe, T., Rawley, E. (2013). "Information, Knowledge and Asset Ownership in Taxicab Fleets", Organization Science, 3 (24), 831-845
  • Rawley, E., Simcoe, T. (2013). "Information Technology, Productivity, and Asset Ownership: Evidence from Taxicab Fleets", Organization Science, 24 (3), 831-845
  • Simcoe, T., Farrell, J. (2012). Four Paths to Compatibility."The Oxford Handbook of the Digital Economy", Oxford University Press 34-58
  • Muzyrya, Y., Simcoe, T. (2012). "Standardization and the Cost of Using Knowledge", Academy of Management Proceedings, 2012 (1), 17325-17325
  • Bekkers, R., Catalini, C., Martinelli, A., Simcoe, T. (2011). "Showcase: A database for standards and patents", 2011 7th International Conference on Standardization and Innovation in Information Technology (SIIT)
  • Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2011). "A NAASTy alternative to RAND pricing commitments", Telecommunications Policy, 35 (11), 1010-1017
  • Simcoe, T., Graham, S., Feldman, M. (2009). "Competing on Standards? Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, and Platform Technologies", Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, 18 (3), 775-816
  • Simcoe, T., Waguespack, D., Fleming, L. (2008). "What's in a (Missing) Name? Status and Signaling in Open Standards Development", NET Institute Working Paper (08)
  • Rawley, E., Simcoe, T. (2008). "Horizontal Diversification and Vertical Contracting: Firm Scope and Asset Ownership in Taxi Fleets", Academy of Management Proceedings, 2008 (1), 1-6
  • Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2008). "Patents and the performance of voluntary standard-setting organizations", Management science, 54 (11), 1920-1934
  • Simcoe, T. (2007). "Intellectual property and compatibility standards: A primer", First Monday
  • Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2007). "Network Operators' Requirements and the Structure of Telecommunications Standards", International Journal of IT Standards and Standardization Research, 5 (1), 103-117
  • Mehta, A., Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2007). "Identifying the Age Profile of Patent Citations", Boston University-Department of Economics
  • Simcoe, T. (2007). Delay and de jure Standardization: Exploring the Slowdown in Internet Standards Development."Standards and Public Policy", Cambridge University Press 260-295
  • Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2005). "Evaluating the performance of standard setting organizations with patent data", Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Standardization and Innovation in Information Technology 195-205
  • Rysman, M., Simcoe, T. (2005). "Evaluating the performance of standard setting organizations with patent data.", SIIT 184-194
  • Mathaisel, B., Simcoe, T. (1995). "Alliance ecology: A key to multimedia strategic success", PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST USENIX WORKSHOP OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE 189-208
    Research Presentations
  • Simcoe, T. Patenting Inventions or Inventing Patents? Continuation Practice at the USPTO, UT Austin Empirical IP Law Conference, University of Texas, Austin, 2023
  • Simcoe, T. Ecosystems and Complementary Platforms, U.S. Federal Trade Commission Microeconomics Workshop, Washington, DC, 2022
  • Simcoe, T. Ecosystems and Complementary Platforms, International Industrial Organization Conference, Boston, MA, 2022
  • Simcoe, T. Learning When to Quit: An Empirical Model of Experimentation in Standards Development, UCLA Innovation Seminar, University of California, Los Angeles, 2022
  • Simcoe, T. Learning When to Quit: An Empirical Model of Experimentation in Standards Development, Harvard Business School Digitization Initiative Seminar, Harvard Business School, 2022
  • Simcoe, T. Staggered Diff-in-Diffs for Strategy Research, Utah Winter Strategy Conference, 2022
  • Simcoe, T. Complementary Platforms, Toulouse School of Economics Platform Seminar, 2021
  • Simcoe, T. Patenting Inventions or Inventing Patents? Strategic Use of Continuations at the USPTO, Tilberg Law and Economics Standards and Patents Conference, 2021
  • Simcoe, T. Complementary Platforms, Questrom Platform Strategy Research Symposium, BU Questrom School of Business, 2021
  • Simcoe, T. Patenting Inventions or Inventing Patents? Continuation Practice at the USPTO, USPTO Office of the Chief Economist Seminar, 2021
  • Simcoe, T. Antitrust Implications of Empirical Research on Standard Essential Patents, EU Directorate General for Competition Economics Seminar, 2021
  • Simcoe, T. Does Earnings Management Matter for Strategy Research?, University of Michigan Ross School of Business Strategy Seminar, 2021
  • Simcoe, T. BU Technology Policy Research Initiative "IP Days" Annual Conference (Organizer and Co-Host), 2020
  • Simcoe, T. Twenty Anniversary of "Information Rules" Conference, 2020
  • Simcoe, T. Standard Setting, Antitrust and FRAND, Global Competition Review Antitrust Conference, 2020
    Awards and Honors
  • 2018, Outstanding Contribution to Questrom Doctoral Programs, Boston University Questrom School of Business
  • 2016, BU Questrom Full Time MBA Class of 2016, Favorite Elective Professor
  • 2016, Distinguished Mentor Award, BU Questrom Doctoral Students Association
  • 2009, "Outstanding" Teaching Award, Rotman School of Management
  • 2008, Glueck Best Paper Award, 2008, Academy of Management BPS Division
  • 2008, Business Policy and Strategy Division/Glueck Best Paper Award, Academy of Management
  • 2007, Bell Canada University Labs Grant, Bell Canada
  • 2006, Finalist, IEC Centenary Challenge, International Electrotechnical Committee and Economist Magazine
  • 2004, Connaught New Faculty Start-Up Award, University of Toronto
  • 2003, Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor, U.C. Berkeley
  • 2003, CITRIS Fellowship, Berkeley Center for I.T. Research in the Interest of Society
  • 2003, Finalist, Organization Science Dissertation Proposal Competition, INFORMS
  • 2001, Robert M. Noyce Memorial Fellowship, Intel Corporation
  • 1999, Ph.D. Fellowship, 1999-2000, U.C. Berkeley, Haas School of Business