This study looks at how owning patents affects innovation incentives. Imagine two labs racing to create something new, win a patent, and then share ownership. What's best for innovation? Well, joint ownership is the way to go. In this scenario, it means sharing the patent with no power struggle. If one lab is more into self-gain and the other into teamwork, joint ownership with no veto works best. Surprisingly, when both labs keep their options open and don't commit in advance, they work harder than if they do commit, even if teaming up later is smarter. So, the key takeaway is joint ownership is king for boosting innovation between research partners.