Against the backdrop of the deep integration between global technological innovation waves and institutional reforms, patent thicket has emerged as a quintessential phenomenon in the evolution of intellectual property systems, characterized by property right fragmentation and unbalanced patent allocation. Despite its growing relevance in modern industrial landscapes, existing literature has not fully explored the specific mechanisms through which its structural contradictions influence the high-quality development of enterprises. This research aims to bridge this gap by adopting a multi-theoretical framework integrating resource-based theory, transaction cost theory, and dynamic capability theory, seeking to systematically dissect the complex interplay between patent thicket dynamics and enterprise development trajectories.

The study constructs a two-dimensional analytical model explicitly incorporating two critical dimensions: density-induced fragmentation costs and quality-driven synergistic benefits. Departing from traditional single-dimensional approaches, this model recognizes patent thicket as an interactive system where the quantitative accumulation of patents and their qualitative attributes co-evolve to shape organizational outcomes. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset of A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2023, the research employs panel data fixed-effect models to establish causal relationships and moderating effect tests to explore contextual contingencies. This empirical strategy enables a nuanced examination of how patent thicket operates across diverse organizational and environmental contexts.

Key findings reveal a dualistic influence of patent thicket on enterprise high-quality development. Specifically, patent thicket density demonstrates a significant inhibitory effect, primarily attributed to escalating transaction costs, innovation bottlenecks, and strategic lock-ins arising from fragmented intellectual property rights. Conversely, patent thicket quality—operationalized through indicators including patent originality, technological centrality, and commercial value—exerts a robust promoting effect by facilitating knowledge spillovers, enhancing competitive positioning, and enabling dynamic capability building.

The study further uncovers that environmental dynamism, characterized by rapid technological changes and market fluctuations, and environmental complexity, reflecting stakeholder diversity and regulatory landscapes, act as positive moderators. These factors amplify both the inhibitory effect of density and the promotive effect of quality, indicating that in volatile environments, challenges posed by patent density intensify while advantages of high-quality patents become more pronounced.

Additionally, the research highlights heterogeneous effects across firm characteristics. Small-scale enterprises exhibit heightened sensitivity to patent density, likely due to their limited resource buffers and bargaining power in patent licensing negotiations. In contrast, high-quality patents demonstrate a more significant innovation-driven effect for enterprises in highly competitive industries, where technological superiority serves as a critical differentiator. These findings illuminate how resource endowment, such as firm size, and market structure, such as industry competitiveness, moderate the patent thicket effect, providing insights into context-specific strategic responses.

By reconstructing patent thicket as an interactive system of density and quality, this study transcends conventional paradigms and offers a more nuanced understanding of its operational laws in dynamic environments. Theoretical contributions include integrating fragmented literatures, proposing a novel analytical framework, and identifying contingency mechanisms. Practically, the findings provide strategic guidance for Chinese enterprises to navigate patent thicket challenges, particularly in formulating balanced patent acquisition strategies, enhancing patent quality management, and adapting to environmental uncertainties. This research thus serves as a vital theoretical anchor for promoting high-quality development within China's evolving innovation ecosystem.