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on Intellectual Property Rights |
| By: | Sunil Kanwar (Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, India) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates whether, in what direction, and to what extent one mode of technology transfer is influenced by the strength of intellectual property protection that host nations provide. Using data spanning the period 1977-1999, we find little support for the claim that strengthening intellectual property rights will have any sizable effect on the magnitude of overseas r&d investment by (US) multinationals. Any semblance of a positive relationship between these two variables vanishes the moment we introduce country fixed effects and time fixed effects into the regressions. One implication of our results is, that ceteris paribus, stronger intellectual property rights in the developing countries pursuant to the TRIPs agreement may not have any significant influence on technology transfer into these countries via overseas r&d. |
| Keywords: | intellectual property, technology transfer, overseas r&d |
| JEL: | O34 O31 |
| Date: | 2008–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:166&r=ipr |
| By: | Sebastian v. Engelhardt (Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, School of Economics and Business Administration); Andreas Freytag (Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, School of Economics and Business Administration) |
| Abstract: | So-called open source software (OSS) is marked by free access to the software and its source code. Copyright-based OSS licenses permit users to use, change, improve and redistribute the software, which is designed and developed in a public, collaborative manner. High quality OSS products like Linux, Apache etc. are developed by thousands of volunteers, who often do not receive direct monetary reward. Thus, OSS seems to be an example of a "private provision of a public good", and some argue that OSS is a "new intellectual property paradigm" for the digital economy. Therefore, OSS has been in the focus of economic research for some years.<BR> However, it is still not known which institutional and cultural factors favor OSS development, although the differences of countries in OSS activities can not be solely explained by GDP, education and internet access. For this reason, we perform a cross-country study analyzing how the number of OSS developers per inhabitants and the level of OSS activity of a country depends on institutional and cultural factors. We make use of data about OSS developers registered at SourceForge, and are able to assign 94% of them to their countries. We then run regressions with several institutional and cultural factors. Our findings are that a culture characterized by individualism/self-determination is in favor of OSS. Also, social capital in terms of interpersonal trust has a positive impact on the number of OSS developers as well as on the OSS activity level. The openness to novelty is relevant only with respect to scientific progress, i.e. an optimistic view of scientific progress is significantly positive. While the attitude towards competition was never significant, less regulated countries have more OSS activists and activity. Furthermore, the protection of intellectual property rights has (if all) a positive impact.<BR> Our study contributes to the understanding of the impact of cultural and institutional factors in general as well as in particular with respect to OSS. Additionally it also improves the understanding of OSS. OSS has similarities to technical science and scientific culture, is a a public good game with the contributions are a means to an end. OSS is a new intellectual property right paradigm and is based on an entrepreneurial spirit. |
| Keywords: | Open Source, Culture, Institutions, Social Capital, Trust, Regulation, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Individualism, Intellectual Property Rights |
| JEL: | B52 L17 L86 O34 Z13 Z19 |
| Date: | 2009–07–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jrp:jrpwrp:2009-051&r=ipr |
| By: | Pierre Mohnen (University of Maastrich, UNU-MERIT and CIRANO); Boris Lokshin (University of Maastricht and UNU-MERIT) |
| Abstract: | We take a critical look at how to assess the effectiveness of R&D tax incentives. The net welfare gain is shown to be sensitive to a certain number of parameters. In particular, the deadweight loss associated with level-based tax incentives depends on the ex-ante R&D level. We report on the success of a past policy changes and simulate the effect of various parameter changes in the existing Dutch R&D tax incentive scheme. We show that this policy is more effective for small firms than for large firms. We end with a discussion of the pros and cons of volume-based versus incremental R&D tax incentives. |
| Keywords: | R&D tax credits; policy evaluation; cost-benefit analysis. |
| JEL: | O32 O38 H25 H50 |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ieb:wpaper:2009/7/doc2009-9&r=ipr |
| By: | Lee, Lena; Wong, Poh Kam |
| Abstract: | While existing studies have provided many insightful discussions on the antecedents to innovative collaborations and the benefits of collaborative behavior, few studies have focused on the mediating role of innovative collaborations in enhancing the firm’s technological innovative performance. In this paper, we investigate the mediating role of the firm’s innovative collaborations in the relation between government innovation support and the firm’s product and process innovation intensities. As a mediating factor in the innovation process, innovative collaborations form part of the innovative inputs that contribute to the firm’s product and process innovation intensities. Using arguments derived from the resource-based theory, we found that while receipts of government innovation support help increase the firm’s level of innovative inputs as observed in its collaboration intensity, it is equally important for firms to internalize management practices that encourage maximum leverage of government innovation support for pursuits of innovative collaborations. In a similar vein, while innovative collaborations are necessary for realizing innovative outputs including product and process innovations, it is not a sufficient condition for achieving strong innovative performance. The firm’s internal capabilities as observed in its learning, R&D, resource allocation, manufacturing, marketing, organizing, and strategic planning abilities have a positive influence on the relationship between innovative collaborations and innovative outputs. |
| Keywords: | Innovative Performance; Innovative Collaboration; Firm’s Contextual Factors |
| JEL: | D23 M1 O32 |
| Date: | 2009–06–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:16193&r=ipr |