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The welfare cost of one-size-fits-all patent protection

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  • Chu, Angus C.

Abstract

To analyze the welfare gain from allowing for differentiated patent protection across sectors, this study develops a two-sector quality-ladder growth model in which patent breadth is a policy variable and derives optimal patent breadth under two patent regimes. We show that (a) uniform optimal patent breadth is a weighted average of sector-specific optimal patent breadth and (b) sector-specific optimal patent breadth is larger in the sector that has a larger market size and more technological opportunities. To derive the optimal policy, we allow for an arbitrary path of patent breadth and derive the optimal path by solving a Stackelberg differential game. We find that the optimal path of patent breadth under each patent regime is stationary, time-consistent and subgame perfect. Finally, we perform a numerical investigation and find that even a moderate degree of asymmetry across sectors can generate a significant welfare cost of uniform patent protection.

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Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control.

Volume (Year): 35 (2011)
Issue (Month): 6 (June)
Pages: 876-890

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Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:35:y:2011:i:6:p:876-890
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jedc

Keywords: Economic growth R&D Uniform patent protection Time-consistent patent policy;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
  • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
  • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Angus Chu, 2010. "Effects of patent length on R&D: a quantitative DGE analysis," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 99(2), pages 117-140, March.
  2. Gene M Grossman & Edwin L Lai, 2004. "International Protection of Intellectual Property," Levine's Working Paper Archive 122247000000000442, David K. Levine.
  3. Ted O'Donoghue & Josef Zweim¸ller, 2004. "Patents in a Model of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 81-123, 03.
  4. Cozzi, Guido & Giordani, Paolo E. & Zamparelli, Luca, 2007. "The refoundation of the symmetric equilibrium in Schumpeterian growth models," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 788-797, September.
  5. Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Growth: With or Without Scale Effects?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 139-144, May.
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  7. Klenow, Peter J., 1996. "Industry innovation: where and why," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 125-150, June.
  8. Danyang Xie, 2002. "On Time Inconsistency: A Technical Issue in Stackelberg Differential Games," Macroeconomics 0212004, EconWPA.
  9. Cameron, G., 2000. "R&D and Growth at the Industry Level," Economics Papers 2000-w4, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
  10. Futagami, Koichi & Iwaisako, Tatsuro, 2007. "Dynamic analysis of patent policy in an endogenous growth model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 132(1), pages 306-334, January.
  11. Grossman, Gene M & Helpman, Elhanan, 1991. "Quality Ladders in the Theory of Growth," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(1), pages 43-61, January.
  12. Aghion, P. & Howitt, P., 1990. "A Model Of Growth Through Creative Destruction," DELTA Working Papers 90-12, DELTA (Ecole normale supérieure).
  13. Chu, Angus C., 2007. "Special Interest Politics and Intellectual Property Rights: An Economic Analysis of Strengthening Patent Protection in the Pharmaceutical Industry," MPRA Paper 4349, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  14. Kwan, Yum K. & Lai, Edwin L. -C., 2003. "Intellectual property rights protection and endogenous economic growth," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 853-873, March.
  15. Karp, Larry & Lee, In Ho, 2003. "Time-consistent policies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 112(2), pages 353-364, October.
  16. Li, Chol-Won, 2001. "On the Policy Implications of Endogenous Technological Progress," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 111(471), pages C164-79, May.
  17. Segerstrom, Paul S & Anant, T C A & Dinopoulos, Elias, 1990. "A Schumpeterian Model of the Product Life Cycle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(5), pages 1077-91, December.
  18. Angus Chu, 2009. "Effects of blocking patents on R&D: a quantitative DGE analysis," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 55-78, March.
  19. Aghion, Philippe & Howitt, Peter, 1992. "A Model of Growth Through Creative Destruction," Scholarly Articles 12490578, Harvard University Department of Economics.
  20. Kydland, Finn E & Prescott, Edward C, 1977. "Rules Rather Than Discretion: The Inconsistency of Optimal Plans," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 85(3), pages 473-91, June.
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Blog mentions

As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
  1. Optimizing patent law design is hard, why not drop it
    by Economic Logician in Economic Logic on 2010-04-19 14:04:00
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
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Cited by:

  1. Angus C. Chu & Ching-Chong Lai & Chih-Hsing Liao, 2010. "A Tale of Two Growth Engines: The Interactive Effects of Monetary Policy and Intellectual Property Rights," IEAS Working Paper : academic research 10-A006, Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
  2. Chu, Angus C. & Furukawa, Yuichi, 2011. "Growth and Welfare Effects of Patentability and Knowledge Spillovers of Basic R&D," MPRA Paper 27813, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  3. Cozzi, Guido & Galli, Silvia, 2011. "Upstream innovation protection: common law evolution and the dynamics of wage inequality," MPRA Paper 31902, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  4. Chu, Angus C. & Furukawa, Yuichi, 2012. "Patents versus R&D subsidies in a Schumpeterian growth model with endogenous market structure," MPRA Paper 40469, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  5. Furukawa, Yuichi, 2013. "The Struggle to Survive in the R&D Sector: Implications for Innovation and Growth," MPRA Paper 47728, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  6. Chu, Angus C. & Leung, Charles K.Y. & Tang, Edward, 2012. "Intellectual property rights, technical progress and the volatility of economic growth," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 749-756.
  7. Shiyuan Pan & Tailong Li & Heng-fu Zou, 2012. "Patent Protection, Technological Change and Wage Inequality: Theory," CEMA Working Papers 537, China Economics and Management Academy, Central University of Finance and Economics.
  8. Chu, Angus C. & Cozzi, Guido & Furukawa, Yuichi, 2012. "From China with love: Effects of the Chinese economy on skill-biased technical change in the US," MPRA Paper 40555, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  9. Cozzi, Guido & Galli, Silvia, 2013. "Sequential R&D and Blocking Patents in the Dynamics of Growth," Economics Working Paper Series 1305, University of St. Gallen, School of Economics and Political Science.
  10. Lin, Hwan C., 2013. "Optimal Patent Life in a Variety-Expansion Growth Model," MPRA Paper 49790, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  11. Chu, Angus C. & Cozzi, Guido, 2011. "Cultural preference on fertility and the long-run growth effects of intellectual property rights," MPRA Paper 29059, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  12. Angus Chu & Guido Cozzi & Yuichi Furukawa, . "Effects of Economic Development in China on Skill-Biased Technical Change in the US," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics.
  13. Chu, Angus C. & Pan, Shiyuan & Sun, Minjuan, 2012. "When does elastic labor supply cause an inverted-U effect of patents on innovation?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 211-213.

This item is featured on the following reading lists or Wikipedia pages:

  1. Economic Logic blog

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