Policy Implications of Weak Patent Rights

Patent Premium in Countries with Weak Intellectual Property Rights Protection

Given the high opportunity cost of patenting in countries with weak intellectual property right (IPR) protection, it is paradoxical to observe an increase of patenting activities by multinational corporations and indigenous companies in some of those countries in the past decade. We undertake a large-scale firm-level study in the context of China (an emerging economy with weak IPR protection) t...

International Patent Harmonization and Trade Balance of Patent Rights

The economic implications of international patent harmonization have attracted little empirical scrutiny. Based on patent application and renewal data in major European countries since the early 1980s, this paper examines the empirical relationship between international patenting, R&D, and “trade flows” of patent rights across national borders. The analysis reveals a substantial patent “trade i...

The Use and Value of Patent Rights

Patents and Patent Policy

An inevitable consequence of the growth of the “knowledge” or “information” economy is the increased importance of instruments designed to protect the property rights associated with these intangibles. Chief among the formal means of such protection is the patent, defined as the legal right of an inventor to exclude others from making or using a particular invention. This right is customarily l...

Human Rights in US Foreign Policy