EconPapers    
Economics at your fingertips  
 

Is worldwide patent protection converging? A cross-country index of patent protection strength 1990–2020

Wantao Chen, Xiang Yu and Wei Yang

Technology in Society, 2024, vol. 76, issue C

Abstract: This paper introduces the International Patent Protection Strength (IPPS) index, a composite measure designed to assess global patent protection from the perspective of patent owners. Spanning 134 countries from 1990 to 2020, the IPPS index encompasses four dimensions—international mechanism, legislation, enforcement, and administration—constructed using standardized techniques recommended by the OECD. Results indicate global growth in patent protection strength until 2005, followed by a plateau with persistent disparities. Our findings also highlight the heterogeneity across countries and dimensions. In particular, variations in four dimensions are observed among countries at different income levels, with enforcement and administration being more pronounced, often due to resource constraints and a lack of willingness. Linear regression analysis demonstrates a positive and statistically significant relationship between the IPPS index and the Global Innovation Index (GII), affirming the correlation between patent protection strength and innovation. Sensitivity tests validate the robustness of country rankings across different weighting and aggregation methods. These results align with the viewpoint of some commentators who argue that a peaceful North-South dialogue requires introducing a development agenda that allows for affordable access, rather than solely extending intellectual property rights. The IPPS index serves as a valuable tool for policymakers, patent managers, and practitioners, enabling the identification of strengths and weaknesses in patent protection systems and informing targeted policy measures and strategic decision-making.

Keywords: Patent protection; Index; Cross-country; Legislation; Enforcement; Administration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O11 O30 O34 O38 O50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X23002567
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:76:y:2024:i:c:s0160791x23002567

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102451

Access Statistics for this article

Technology in Society is currently edited by Charla Griffy-Brown

More articles in Technology in Society from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().

 
Page updated 2025-03-19
Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:76:y:2024:i:c:s0160791x23002567