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The Nature of Innovative Activity and the Protection of Intellectual Property in Asia
Author(s) -
Geng Difei,
Saggi Kamal
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
asian economic policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.58
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1748-3131
pISSN - 1832-8105
DOI - 10.1111/aepr.12084
Subject(s) - intellectual property , economics , payment , international trade , law , political science , finance
This paper examines trends in innovative activity in several major A sian countries during the period 1997–2011 as measured by their filings and grants of various types of intellectual property ( IP ). By almost all measures, there has been a remarkable increase in innovative activity in C hina. In fact, in 2011, C hina accounted for roughly 25% of global patent applications. However, several indirect measures suggest that the quality of this newly created C hinese IP is not (yet) world‐class. For example, relative to residents of other major A sian countries and the USA , C hinese residents tend to file IP applications in foreign markets at a much lower rate. Similarly, the ratio of royalty payments earned by C hinese residents to the number of patents granted to them is fairly low by international standards. Finally, the ratio of patent to utility model applications (typically granted for relatively minor innovations) in C hina is also relatively small.