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Do complex inventions need less international patent protection?

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  • Fernandez Donoso, Jose

Abstract

I show that very complex inventions stay outside the patent system more often than medium-complexity products. I test this hypothesis using a subset of international patents data. The regressions confirm that patents and technological complexity have an inverted-U shape relation.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernandez Donoso, Jose, 2014. "Do complex inventions need less international patent protection?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 125(2), pages 278-281.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:125:y:2014:i:2:p:278-281
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2014.09.026
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alexandra Zaby, 2010. "Losing the lead: the patenting decision in the light of the disclosure requirement," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 147-164.
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    10. Nancy T. Gallini, 1992. "Patent Policy and Costly Imitation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 23(1), pages 52-63, Spring.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Barros, Henrique M., 2021. "Neither at the cutting edge nor in a patent-friendly environment: Appropriating the returns from innovation in a less developed economy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1).
    2. Aistleitner, Matthias & Gräbner, Claudius & Hornykewycz, Anna, 2021. "Theory and empirics of capability accumulation: Implications for macroeconomic modeling," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(6).
    3. Fernandez Donoso, Jose, 2017. "A simple index of innovation with complexity," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17.
    4. Kravtsov, A., 2017. "Development of the Patent-Based Researches on Innovation Processes: Analytic Review," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 35(3), pages 144-167.
    5. Claudius Gräbner & Anna Hornykewycz, 2022. "Capability accumulation and product innovation: an agent-based perspective," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 87-121, January.
    6. Olena Ivus & Alireza Naghavi & Larry D. Qiu, 2023. "Migration and Imitation," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(357), pages 212-239, January.
    7. José Fernández Donoso, 2015. "Foreign IPR, Trade and Innovation: Does complexity matter?," Serie Working Papers 23, Universidad del Desarrollo, School of Business and Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Patents; Complexity; Intellectual property rights;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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