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Strengthening intellectual property rights: Experience from the 1986 Taiwanese patent reforms

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  • Lo, Shih-tse

Abstract

Do stronger intellectual property rights spur inventive activity and foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries? What are the characteristics of industries where strengthening patent rights has the most favorable impact? In an attempt to answer these questions, this paper uses the 1986 Taiwanese patent reforms to examine the effects of strengthening patent rights in a developing economy. I find that the reforms encouraged R&D effort across industries. In addition, industries that were highly R&D intensive witnessed a marked increase in their patenting in the United States. The reforms also induced additional FDI.

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  • Lo, Shih-tse, 2011. "Strengthening intellectual property rights: Experience from the 1986 Taiwanese patent reforms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 524-536, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:29:y:2011:i:5:p:524-536
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    3. Su, Zhongfeng & Wang, Chenfeng & Peng, Mike W., 2022. "Intellectual property rights protection and total factor productivity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3).
    4. Gamba, Simona, 2017. "The Effect of Intellectual Property Rights on Domestic Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 15-27.
    5. Harishankar Jagadeesh & Subash Sasidharan, 2014. "Do Stronger IPR Regimes Influence R&D Efforts? Evidence from the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 15(2), pages 189-204, June.
    6. Tian, Xian-Liang, 2017. "Sector-specific IPR protection to overcome technology-skill mismatch in South? A simple model," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 44-51.
    7. Arza, Valeria & López, Andrés & Montes-Rojas, Gabriel & Pascuini, Paulo, 2023. "In the name of TRIPS: The impact of IPR harmonisation on patent activity in Latin America," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).

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