We study how uncompensated research and development (R&D) spillovers - the leakage of proprietary information through imitation or theft - affect firms' investment decisions. Using variation in property rights protections across different regions within China we find that 1) uncompensated spillovers are greater in regions with weaker property rights, 2) such spillovers are associated with lower R&D expenditures, and 3) the latter is exacerbated in low property rights regimes. In addition to identifying a specific channel through which legal protections affect incentives for innovation and R&D, our results support arguments in the literature that the enforcement of property rights affects firm investment and growth.

As technological developments multiply around the globeâ€"even as the patenting of human genes comes under serious discussionâ€"nations, companies, and researchers find themselves in conflict over intellectual property rights (IPRs). Now, an international group of experts presents the first multidisciplinary look at IPRs in an age of explosive growth in science and technology. This thought-provoking volume offers an update on current international IPR negotiations and includes case studies on software, computer chips, optoelectronics, and biotechnologyâ€"areas characterized by high development cost and easy reproducibility. The volume covers these and other issues: Modern economic theory as a basis for approaching international IPRs. U.S. intellectual property practices versus those in Japan, India, the European Community, and the developing and newly industrializing countries. Trends in science and technology and how they affect IPRs. Pros and cons of a uniform international IPRs regime versus a system reflecting national differences.

For anyone with an interest in patent law, intellectual property law generally, and/or the interplay of policy and practice at the forefront of an essentially economic but ideology laden area of law, this is an excellent work providing much food for thought. . . This work is an excellent addition to the literature in the area and will fuel ongoing debate over reform. At the very least it will provide an interesting read for those with an interest in intellectual property law, or who practice in the area. The practice of law can all too easily exhibit the worst attributes of scholasticism; work such as this is an enjoyable remedy, and I recommend this book for all those who care to reflect upon the deeper themes of this area of law and who have an interest in the process of debate as opposed to advocacy for a particular position. . . A decent glass of something along with this book makes for an enjoyable few hours at the very least. Gus Hazel, New Zealand Law Journal The current patent system is both facilitator and stumbling block, as the editors recognise, and the problems raised by borderline inventions at the margins of patentability, as well as the detection and deterrence of free riders, reflect this ambiguity. The editors are to be congratulated on putting together such a good and enjoyable read, complete with a set of conclusions and recommendations. ipkat.com Clearly written in an accessible style, this book brings together economic thinking on innovation and legal thinking on unpatentable invention and sets them in the context of the legal systems in countries in various parts of the world. Its great merit is the emphasis on empirical and institutional analysis of theory and practice. It should inform IP policy-making everywhere. Ruth Towse, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands This book asks whether or not protecting unpatentable innovation is a good idea, especially for developing countries. Edited by well-known specialists from the Queen Mary IP Institute and the Singapore IP Academy, who have included their own substantial contributions, the work contains a number of valuable empirical studies by national experts mainly from the Far East and Latin America on the operation of national utility models and other similar schemes designed to protect innovation outside the patent system. The book is essential reading for lawyers, economists, policy makers and NGOs concerned with how best to encourage national and regional innovation and economic prosperity. David Vaver, University of Oxford, UK Focusing on innovation and development, this book, easy to read and full of interesting detail, provides both valuable insight into the theoretical framework of innovation as supported by intellectual property protection and contains valuable case studies of national systems of innovation in the Pacific Rim States. Thomas Dreier, University of Karlsruhe, Germany This book is concerned with the extent to which innovations should or should not be protected as intellectual property, and the implications this has upon the ability of local manufacturers to learn to innovate. A question the book considers is how far legal protection should extend to inventions that may only just, or indeed not quite, meet the conventional criteria for patentability, in terms of the level of inventiveness. Innovation without Patents offers a thoughtful and empirically rich analysis of the current system in a number of developed and developing countries in the Asia-Pacific. It asks whether such innovations should remain free from patenting, or whether alternative intellectual property regimes should be offered in such cases, and indeed whether the requirements change depending on a country s level of development. This discussion is capped by a number of proposed policy options. The theoretical and practical approaches to intellectual property rights, innovation and development policy formulation make Innovation without Patents acce

There are two traditional views of the role of intellectual property (IP) within the field of innovation management: in innovation management research, as an indicator or proxy for innovation inputs or outputs, e.g. patents or licensing income; or in innovation management practice, as a means of protecting knowledge. Exploiting Intellectual Property to Promote Innovation and Create Value argues that whilst both of these perspectives are useful, neither capture the full potential contribution of intellectual property in innovation management research and practice.The management of IP has become a central challenge in current strategies of Open Innovation and Business Model Innovation, but there is relatively little empirical work available. Theoretical arguments and empirical research suggest that from both an innovation policy and management perspective, the challenge is to use IP to encourage risk-taking and innovation, and that a broader repertoire of strategies is necessary to create and capture the economic and social benefits of innovation. This book identifies how intellectual property can be harnessed to create and capture value through exploiting new opportunities for innovation. It is organized around three related themes: public policies for IP; firm strategies for IP; and creating value from IP, and offers insights from the latest research on IP strategies and practices to create and capture the economic and social benefits of innovation.

This paper sets up a vertically related market model in which imitation and innovation are endogenously determined to study the impact of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection on less-developed countries. It shows how a less-developed country switches from imitation to innovation as it develops. It is also found that the relationship between IPR protection and economic development is -shaped. The IPR protection tends to go down and then go up as income rises. This finding also conforms with that in the empirical literature on IPR protection.

Following decades in which China's approach to technology has been to imitate, the country is now transforming itself to become innovation-oriented. This pioneering study examines whether patents play a similar role in promoting innovation in China as they do in the West, exploring the interplay between patents and China's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in particular.

This book provides an overview of the common concepts and building blocks of patent management. It addresses executives in the areas of innovation, R & D, patent and intellectual property management as well as academics and students.The authors give valuable information on the characteristics of patent and intellectual property management, based on the collaboration with companies and organizations from Europe, China, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, India, Canada and the US. A reference for managers who want to bring information technology innovation with a clear intellectual property strategy to the market. A very readable book. Thomas Landolt, Managing Director, IBM A really comprehensive, all-in book about Patents – strategy, value, management and commercialization. And not forgetting what they are for – foster innovation. Dr. Joerg Thomaier, Head of IP Bayer Group