International Protection of Intellectual Property: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract:     
In this paper, we test the empirical implications of Grossman and Lai's (2004) game-theoretic model of international patent protection. The model yields clear predictions of the variation in degrees of patent protection across countries based on the market sizes and levels of innovative capability of the countries. To take into account the interdependence in the determination of strengths of patent protection between countries, we adopt the spatial econometrics approach. We find that the pattern of patent protection around the globe was broadly consistent with the predictions of the model before the implementation of the TRIPS agreement in 1995.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 36

Keywords: Intellectual property, patent, empirical study, spatial econometrics

JEL Classification: O34, F13

working papers series