Do Stronger Intellectual Property Rights Increase International Technology Transfer? Empirical Evidence from U. S. Firm-Level Panel Data
Abstract
This paper examines how technology transfer within U. S. multinational firms changes in response to a series of IPR reforms undertaken by sixteen countries over the 1982–1999 period. Analysis of detailed firm-level data reveals that royalty payments for technology transferred to affiliates increase at the time of reforms, as do affiliate R&D expenditures and total levels of foreign patent applications. Increases in royalty payments and R&D expenditures are concentrated among affiliates of parent companies that use U. S. patents extensively prior to reform and are therefore expected to value IPR reform most. For this set of affiliates, increases in royalty payments exceed 30 percent.
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Patent law reforms that improved IPR protection abroad are associated with U.S. multinational transferring more technology to their foreign affiliates, with the effects being disproportionate in sectors with long product life cycles.
“Branstetter et al. (2006) and Bilir (2014) found that patent law reforms that improved IPR protection abroad are associated with U.S. multinational transferring more technology to their foreign affiliates, with the effects being disproportionate in sectors with long product life cycles.”
From De-Globalisation? Global Value Chains in the Post-COVID-19 Age (2020) · cites this paper as Branstetter et al. (2006)
Stronger IPR protection in China might provide incentives for new firms to slice their value chains and operate in China, especially for firms that are unwilling to share their technologies in a joint venture in the current environment.
“such stronger IPR protection might provide incentives for new firms to slice their value chains and operate in China, especially for firms that are unwilling to share their technologies in a joint venture in the current environment.”
From De-Globalisation? Global Value Chains in the Post-COVID-19 Age (2020) · cites this paper as Branstetter et al. (2006)
Cites
Geographic Localization of International Technology Diffusion
Keller, W. (2002) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/000282802760015630 · Cited by 1,227 · see citing works
Overseas Research and Development by US-Based Firms
Mansfield, E., Teece, D., & Romeo, A. (1979) · Economica · doi:10.2307/2553190 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
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De-Globalisation? Global Value Chains in the Post-COVID-19 Age
Antràs, P. (2020) · doi:10.3386/w28115 · Cited by 376 · see citing works
Fragmenting global business processes: A protection for proprietary information
Gooris, J., & Peeters, C. (2016) · Journal of International Business Studies · doi:10.1057/jibs.2015.44 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Ivus, O., Park, W. G., & Saggi, K. (2017) · Journal of International Business Studies · doi:10.1057/s41267-017-0100-1 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
- Authors
- Branstetter, L. G., Fisman, R., & Foley, C. F.
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- The Quarterly Journal of Economics
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2006-02-01
- Volume
- 121
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 321-358
- ISSN
- 0033-5533 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-4650
- OpenAlex
- W3124271908
- Cited by
- 582
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 59.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Quarterly Journal of Economics (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management of Technology and Innovation › Intellectual Property and Patents
- Social Sciences › Law › Intellectual Property Law
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › General Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Global trade and economics
- Keywords
- intellectual property, technology transfer, multinational corporations, royalties, foreign patent applications, parent company, technology licensing, technology trade
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