Law and Innovation: Evidence from State Trade Secrets Laws

36 Pages Posted: 4 Feb 2011 Last revised: 8 Jun 2014

See all articles by Ivan P. L. Png

Ivan P. L. Png

National University of Singapore (NUS)

Date Written: June 15, 2012

Abstract

Here, I study the effect of trade secrets laws on R&D and patenting. Stronger secrecy protection could increase or reduce R&D. By reducing spillovers, stronger protection might reduce or raise the return to R&D, depending on whether spillover and own R&D are complements or substitutes. By strengthening appropriability, stronger protection would raise the return to R&D. Empirically, I find a nuanced relation between changes in trade secrets law and R&D among U.S. manufacturers between 1976 and 2006. The relation increased with company size, as measured by sales revenue, and was present among high-tech companies, but not among low-tech companies. The increase in trade secrets protection in California between 1978-84 and 1990-98 was, for the average company in the respective industry, associated with 4.9% less R&D in industrial inorganic chemicals (SIC 2810), a low technology industry, and 14.8% more R&D in pharmaceuticals (SIC 2834), a high technology industry.

Further, I find that stronger trade secrets law was associated with reduced patenting, suggesting that trade secrets and patents served as substitutes.

Keywords: trade secrets, manufacturing

JEL Classification: K30, O31

Suggested Citation

Png, Ivan P. L., Law and Innovation: Evidence from State Trade Secrets Laws (June 15, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1755284 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1755284

Ivan P. L. Png (Contact Author)

National University of Singapore (NUS) ( email )

Singapore, 117543
Singapore
+65 6516-6807 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/iplpng/

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