IP modularity in software ecosystems: How SugarCRM's IP and business model shape its product architecture

Josef Waltl, Joachim Henkel, Carliss Y. Baldwin

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

We provide a case study of the concept of "IP modularity," analyzing the case of SugarCRM. The modular architecture of this platform software is aligned with its intellectual property structure in such a way that the firm can derive, from the same code tree, an open source community version and a proprietary version. The software's IP modular structure also facilitates the development of complements by distributed and anonymous complementors and simplifies downstream customizations, thus enhancing the platform's attractiveness. We find that SugarCRM implements IP modularity on three different levels of the architectural hierarchy, in some cases down to the source code level. Our study thus extends the concept of IP modularity to comprise the notion of hierarchy levels.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSoftware Business - Third International Conference, ICSOB 2012, Proceedings
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages94-106
Number of pages13
ISBN (Print)9783642307454
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Event3rd International Conference on Software Business, ICSOB 2012 - Cambridge, MA, United States
Duration: 18 Jun 201220 Jun 2012

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Business Information Processing
Volume114 LNBIP
ISSN (Print)1865-1348

Conference

Conference3rd International Conference on Software Business, ICSOB 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCambridge, MA
Period18/06/1220/06/12

Keywords

  • Intellectual Property
  • Modularity
  • Platforms
  • Software Ecosystems

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