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Purpose: This study aims to analyse the intellectual property rights (INPR), foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and technological exports of 32 developing and developed countries for the period of 2006–2020. Design/methodology/approach: Diagnostic tests were used to confirm the panel least squares, fixed effect, random effect, feasible general least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares and fully modified ordinary least squares estimator results as well as to increase the robustness. Findings: According to the findings for the developing countries, trademark, patent and industrial design applications, each had a significant positive long-run effect on FDI inflows. In addition, there was a significant positive long-run relationship between patent applications and medium- and high-technology exports. Meanwhile, trademark and industrial design applications had a significant negative long-term effect on medium- and high-technology exports. In developed countries, patent and industrial design applications each have a significant negative long-term on medium- and high-technology exports. Furthermore, patent and trademark applications each had a significant negative long-run effect on FDI inflows. Originality/value: This study contributes significantly to the focus that host countries evaluate the technology gaps between domestic and foreign investors at different industry levels to select the best INPR rules and innovation process by increasing international cooperation. Furthermore, the host countries should follow the structure–conduct–performance paradigm based on analysis of the market structure, strategic firms and industrial dynamics systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transfer of technology from developed to the developing countries plays an important role in meeting the technological needs of the latter. A strict patent regime adopted by a developing country encourages the transfer of the latest technology from the developed world. At the same time however, such a regime impedes the spread of the technology within the developing country through spillovers. This paper examines the welfare effects of technology policy of a developing country, which depends on both the technology transferred as well as the spillover of knowledge from such transfers. Situating the model in a welfare maximizing framework, we show that there are gains as well as losses from a stricter patent regime, which underlines the case for an optimal technology policy that may involve a semi strong patent regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Trade Organization's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement has as a stated goal to increase the transfer of technology to the developing world. In the debate surrounding the merits of reforming intellectual property rights (IPR) law, it is important to ask if TRIPS is accomplishing its goal: does the agreement actually allow poorer nations greater access to technology and innovation, or is it simply a boon to the developed world? After reviewing several dozen empirical studies from the field of economics, it is shown that a positive, statistically significant relationship exists between stronger IPR protection and higher levels of technology diffusion, with three caveats. First, the evidence is suggestive, but problems in data, measurement, and statistical methods render the results less convincing. Second, the positive effect does not seem to hold for extremely impoverished countries and in some cases may be negative. Third and finally, it is always important to examine data disaggregated by industry since IPR protection affects various sectors differently. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]