Sharing sources and protection mechanisms of knowledge creation processes in the new digital era : an empirical analysis of textile fashion industry of an Italian region

The results of this study (i) underline the difficulties that some areas had while dealing with innovation and all the problems –usually linked or independent - coming from sharing and protection mechanisms; (ii) analyze the knowledge production and spread courses during the digital technologies era. Creativity constantly renews itself according to single and collective factors, network factor and according to accessibility, transferability and appropriability factors; (iii) To test the convergence between owners and no-owners models in a field characterized by a medium technology and a high creative design contest.The research findings provide (i) what strategic innovation purposes positively impact on knowledge creation processes; (ii) argue the relevance of internal innovation factors, such as R&S strategy, and collective innovation sources, in a creative network where a crucial role is played by suppliers and firms of other industries more than similar firms of the same industry; (ii) analyze the role of knowledge protection mechanisms with particular attention to the decreasing significance of patents (in textile fashion industry)