Intellectual Property in Plant Breeding: Comparing Different Levels and Forms of Protection

Sergio Lence, Dermot Hayes, Julian Alston and J. Stephen C. Smith

Staff General Research Papers Archive from Iowa State University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Welfare tradeoffs between intellectual property (IP) protections provided by patents and by plant variety protection (PVP) are explored. PVP breeders' exemption weakens IP protection, but may speed the transfer of research gains across firms. A model is developed assuming firms optimize research given existing IP protection. A baseline scenario supporting each system is used to perform welfare analysis, and study how the balance is altered between systems. Survey data suggest patents are more appropriate for longer-term, higher-risk research, whereas PVP is better suited for traditional breeding. A scenario where patents and licensing co-exist dominates PVP in all commercially relevant areas.

Keywords: Genetic improvement; intellectual property; seed industry; welfare analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O31 O34 Q16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-03-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-ipr, nep-pr~ and nep-mfd
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Forthcoming in European Review of Agricultural Economics

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http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/papers/p18978-2015-03-02.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Intellectual property in plant breeding: comparing different levels and forms of protection (2016)
Working Paper: Intellectual property in plant breeding: comparing different levels and forms of protection (2016)
Working Paper: Intellectual property in plant breeding: comparing different levels and forms of protection (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:isu:genres:38978

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