nep-ipr New Economics Papers
on Intellectual Property Rights
Issue of 2012‒10‒20
four papers chosen by
Roland Kirstein
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

  1. Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Technology Transfer: A Survey By Anja Breitwieser; Neil Foster
  2. Brevetabilité des médicament, innovation et l’avenir de l’industrie pharmaceutique en Tunisie DRUGS PATENTABILITY INNOVATION AND THE FUTURE OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IN TUNISIA THEORETICAL STUDY AND EMPIRICAL VALIDATION By Nejla YACOUB
  3. Can Venture Capital Foster Innovation in Canada? Yes, but Certain Types of Venture Capital Are Better Than Others By Tariq Fancy
  4. Intangible Assets, Resource Allocation and Growth: A Framework for Analysis By Dan Andrews; Alain de Serres

  1. By: Anja Breitwieser; Neil Foster (The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw)
    Abstract: Following the conclusion of the TRIPS Agreement, much has been written on the potential costs and benefits of stronger Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) protection in terms of its impact on innovation and technology transfer, as well as economic growth and welfare. This paper documents the development of IPR regimes within countries and internationally, before surveying the theoretical and empirical literature linking the protection of IPRs to economic growth, innovation and technology diffusion.
    Keywords: intellectual property rights, economic growth, innovation, technology diffusion
    JEL: O3
    Date: 2012–06
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wii:wpaper:88&r=ipr
  2. By: Nejla YACOUB (Laboratoire de Recherche sur l'Industrie et l'Innovation. ULCO)
    Abstract: La signature en 1994 des accords sur les Aspects de Droits de la Propriété Intellectuelle qui touchent au Commerce (ADPIC) dans le cadre des négociations instituant l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce (OMC), sont le fait le plus marquant de l’évolution de la brevetabilité. La brevetabilité des médicaments, reconnue en vertu des ADPIC dans tous les pays de l’OMC, a soulevé de nombreux débats, en particulier autour de son impact sur l’accessibilité des pays en développement (PED) aux médicaments. Son impact sur l’innovation pharmaceutique dans ces pays, demeure par contre peu exploré. Cette question, qui constitue la problématique de cette recherche, est pourtant d’acuité notamment dans un contexte actuel où nombre de PED, comme la Tunisie, s’attèlent à créer une base technologique et cognitive favorable à l’innovation pharmaceutique. Traiter de cette problématique, requiert d’abord une étude théorique des fondements de la brevetabilité (des médicaments) et de son impact sur l’innovation (pharmaceutique). Ensuite, pour tester empiriquement la validité des conclusions théoriques pour le cas de la Tunisie, nous avons mené une enquête qualitative auprès des 32 laboratoires composant l’industrie pharmaceutique tunisienne. Les résultats empiriques, appuyés par une analyse comparative avec quelques pays, montrent que, en l’état actuel, l’innovation pharmaceutique en Tunisie étant encore embryonnaire et fortement dépendante de l’étranger, la brevetabilité des médicaments se révèle comme une contrainte plutôt qu’une incitation à l’innovation locale. Tandis que, à long terme, l’impact dépendra de la capacité du système sectoriel d’innovation (SSI) tunisien à mettre en place des mécanismes en mesure de créer une dynamique de transferts technologiques et d’innovation, en particulier via la consolidation des interactions systémiques entre ses différents acteurs. The signature in 1994 of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights agreements (TRIPS) within the negotiations of the world trade organization (WTO) are the most notable fact of the evolution of patentability. Hence, drugs patentability, recognized within all the member countries of the WTO lifted up several debates in particular as regards the impact on the accessibility of developing countries to essential drugs. The impact of TRIPs on pharmaceutical innovation in developing countries remains, however, less explored. Yet, it is an up-to-date issue, especially in a current context where a growing number of developing countries, such as Tunisia, engage a policy aiming at enhancing their innovation potential in pharmaceuticals. Studying this issue requires first a theoretical analysis of the foundations of patentability and of its impacts on innovation. Then, in order to test the theoretical conclusions empirically, we conduct a survey next to the pharmaceuticals firms in Tunisia. The empirical results show that currently the pharmaceutical innovation in Tunisia is still at early stages of development and strongly relying on foreign technologies; the drugs patentability appears then as a constraint rather than an incentive. Nevertheless, on the long run, the impact will depend on the ability of the sectoral innovation system (SIS) to put into effect mechanisms that could create a dynamic of technology transfers and of innovation, especially through strengthening the systemic interactions between its different actors.
    Keywords: Brevetabilité des médicaments, transferts de technologie, innovation pharmaceutique, industrie pharmaceutique tunisienne, système sectoriel d’innovation tunisien
    JEL: O14 O30 O32 O34
    Date: 2012–02
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rii:riidoc:248&r=ipr
  3. By: Tariq Fancy (former Principal, CPP Investment Board)
    Abstract: Canada’s problem with lagging productivity growth has led policymakers to focus on boosting innovation, in part by supporting Canadian venture capital funding for business. But which types of venture capital (VC) funds are most effective in spurring innovation? This study examines that question in the Canadian context by examining the records of VC funding in generating new patent applications for the period 1996-2008. Overall, Canadian VC funding spurs innovation more effectively on a dollar-for-dollar basis than investment in research and development (R&D). The type of VC fund also matters. Private and institutional VC funds consistently foster innovation; corporate and government VC funds do reasonably well in promoting innovation; but retail, bank and other VC dollars perform poorly on that score.
    Keywords: Economic Growth and Innovation, venture capital, Canada
    JEL: G24 H2
    Date: 2012–09
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdh:ebrief:138&r=ipr
  4. By: Dan Andrews; Alain de Serres
    Abstract: This paper explores the growing importance of intangible assets as a potential source of innovation and productivity gains, and the contribution of efficient resource allocation to this process. Realising the growth opportunities implied by intangible assets depends on the ability to reallocate labour and capital to their most productive use, which is determined by the design of framework policies. The redeployment of tangible resources takes on heightened importance given the inherent difficulties in allocating intangibles efficiently. Indeed, the characteristics of intangible assets create market imperfections, which hinder the allocation of new ideas to where they can be developed most efficiently. While a number of policy instruments are typically deployed to address these market failures, the paper also explores how the growing importance of intangible assets is affecting the suitability of these policy tools. In turn, a number of policy issues are identified, spanning the financing of start-up firms, the treatment of intangibles in corporate valuation and accounting frameworks, competition policy in the digital economy and the role of intellectual property rights frameworks in rapidly growing domains such as information technology.<P>Les actifs intangibles, l'allocation des biens de production et la croissance : Un cadre d'analyse<BR>Cette étude examine le potentiel des actifs intangibles comme source d’innovation et de gains de productivité, ainsi que la contribution de l’allocation des ressources à ce processus. Afin de réaliser les opportunités de croissance offertes par les actifs intangibles, il est nécessaire de pouvoir redéployer les ressources en capital et en travail pour les utiliser de la manière la plus productive. Le redéploiement des ressources tangibles est d’autant plus important que les actifs intangibles peuvent êtres difficiles à allouer de manière efficiente. En effet, leur caractère immatériels entraîne des défaillances de marché qui font en sorte que l es idées les plus innovantes ne sont pas toujours développées là où leur potentiel commercial peut être exploité de manière optimale. Cette étude explore dans quelle mesure l’efficience des politiques publiques mise en place pour pallier aux défaillances des marché est mise en cause par l’importance croissante des actifs intangibles. Les champs de politiques publiques jouant un rôle déterminant incluent le financement des nouvelles entreprises innovantes (start-up), le traitement des actifs intangibles dans la comptabilité et l’évaluation financière des entreprises, l’application des politiques de concurrence à l’économie numérique ainsi que cadre législatif visant à protéger les droits de propriété intellectuelle.
    Keywords: growth, reallocation, innovation, intangible assets, croissance, innovation, actifs intangibles, redéploiement
    JEL: L20 O30 O40
    Date: 2012–09–18
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:989-en&r=ipr

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