Patent pools are an open innovation strategic instrument for collaboratively licensing internal innovations and obtaining external innovations. Participation of patent holders brings challenge due to coordination problems. This paper addresses to the causality between multiple factors and participation. In particular, we integrate platform and complementary asset theories in a configurational framework. This integration provides a holistic view of participation and identifies new factors. Based on this configurational framework, we implement a fsQCA study of 11 patent pools, including 217 cases. Our results of 7 receipts of sufficient solution yielding patent pool participation bring new research insights and managerial implications.
