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on Intellectual Property Rights |
| By: | Bruno Van Pottelsberghe; Matthis de Saint-Georges |
| Abstract: | This paper presents a quality index for patent systems. The index is composed of nine operational design components that help shape the transparency of patent systems and affect the extent to which they comply with patentability conditions. Seven factors are related to rules and regulations (e.g. grace period, opposition process and continuation-inparts), while two factors measure patent offices’ resource allocation (i.e. workload per examiner and incentives). The index is computed for 32 national patent systems, it displays a high heterogeneity across countries. Cross-sectional quantitative analyses suggest that the demand for patent rights -or the propensity to patent- is lower in patent systems with a higher quality index, controlling for research efforts, patent fees and the “strength” of enforcement mechanisms. |
| Keywords: | patent system; quality; patent propensity; intellectual property |
| Date: | 2011–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eca:wpaper:2013/88986&r=ipr |
| By: | Hall, Bronwyn H. (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University, UC Berkeley, NBER, and IFS); Helmers, Christian (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, LSE) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the characteristics of 238 patents on 94 “inventions” contributed by major multinational innovators to the “Eco-Patent Commons”, which provides royalty-free access to third parties to patented climate change related innovations. By comparing the pledged patents to other patents in the same technologies or held by the same multinationals, we investigate the motives of the contributing firms as well as the potential for such commons to encourage innovation and diffusion of climate change related technologies. This study, therefore, indirectly provides evidence on the role of patents in the development and diffusion of green technologies. More generally, the paper sheds light on the performance of hybrid forms of knowledge management that combine open innovation and patenting. |
| Keywords: | patent commons, green technology, eco-aptents, diffusion, climate change |
| JEL: | H23 H42 K11 O33 O34 |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:unumer:2011025&r=ipr |
| By: | Bienabe, Estelle; Bramley, Cerkia; Kirsten, Johann; Troskie, Dirk |
| Abstract: | This is the scientific report from a research programme which explored the current lack of a suitable public system for protecting GIs in Southern Africa. In contrast to the European Union, the current South African legal framework only provides for the protection of GIs as collective and, in certain circumstances, as certification trademarks. The lack of a public system through which to valorize GIs was identified as excluding resource poor farmers (but also commercial larger scale farmers) from a potentially useful tool for improving their market access. The need for a public system of protection also emanates from the significance of the wild resources found in South Africa and Namibia, which are often the only source of income for resource poor communities and which is threatened by bio‐piracy. It thus appeared important to assess the merits of developing an institutional framework for protecting GIs in Southern Africa and to evaluate the needs for a sui generis legal system. Secondly, an analysis was done of the local dynamics based on specific agro‐food products. Two central questions were therefore addressed in this study: "How can local communities successfully protect their resources and differentiate their production through GIs?" and "What is the nature and extent of the required institutional and legal framework to achieve this objective?”. |
| Keywords: | Geographical indications; indigenous resources; intellectual property rights; collectivae action; Southern Africa |
| JEL: | Q13 O13 |
| Date: | 2011–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:31615&r=ipr |
| By: | Azagra-Caro, Joaquín M. |
| Abstract: | Access to public knowledge is a prerequisite for the good functioning of developed economies. Universities strive and are also requested to contribute to this knowledge both locally and internationally. Traditional studies on the geography of knowledge flows have identified a localisation effect; however, these studies do not use the country as the unit of observation and hence do not explore national patterns. In this paper, we hypothesise that the localisation of university knowledge flows is directly related to share of firm expenditure on research and development. To test this hypothesis, we use references to universities in patent documents as indicators based on a data set of around 20,000 university references, for 37 countries in the period 1990-2007. We build indicators for the university knowledge flows both inside and outside the applicant country, which we explain as a function of some proxies for national scientific size and structure based on econometric estimations. We draw some conclusions as to the importance of national business scientific strength for fostering increased domestic university knowledge flows. |
| Keywords: | Universities; Knowledge flows; R&D expenditure |
| Date: | 2011–06–13 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ing:wpaper:201102&r=ipr |