Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation: A Panel Analysis

Intellectual Property Rights Policy, Competition and Innovation

To what extent and in what form should the intellectual property rights (IPR) of innovators be protected? Should a company with a large technology lead over its rivals receive the same IPR protection as a company with a more limited advantage? The analysis of these questions necessitates a dynamic framework for the study of the interactions between IPR and competition, in particular to understa...

Intellectual Property Rights, Licensing, and Innovation

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expresse...

Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Developing Countries: Evidence from Panel Data

Innovation and Imitation with and without Intellectual Property Rights

An extensive empirical literature indicates that returns from innovation are appropriated primarily via mechanisms other than formal intellectual property rights – and that ‘imitation’ is itself a costly activity. However most theory assumes the pure nonrivalry of ‘ideas’ with its implication that, in the absence of intellectual property (for example under an ‘open source’ regime), innovation (...

Intellectual Property Rights and Access to Innovation: Evidence from TRIPS∗

We examine the effect of pharmaceutical patent protection on the speed of drug launch, price, and quantity in 60 countries from 2000-2013. The World Trade Organization required its member countries to implement a minimum level of patent protection within a specified time period as part of the TRIPS Agreement. However, members retained the right to impose price controls and to issue compulsory l...