R&D rivalry with endogenous compatibility

Abstract A classic R&D rivalry is compared to R&D cooperation while embedded in a model of endogenous network compatibility. We show that complete incompatibility is more likely to occur with cooperative R&D. Complete incompatibility increases the advantage in R&D and profitability of the incumbent over the entrant. In our initial illustration, cooperation in network industries with endogenous compatibility generates no higher (and often lower) welfare than in non‐network industries. In our generalization, cooperation in network industries generates welfare loss for a wider range of R&D spillovers. This suggests that R&D cooperation should receive stricter policy scrutiny in network industries with endogenous compatibility.