Why do innovators not apply for trademarks? The role of information asymmetries and collaborative innovation

Suma Athreye and Claudio Fassio

No 2019/2, Papers in Innovation Studies from Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research

Abstract: This paper analyses the underlying reasons why innovators do not apply for trademarks for all of their valuable inventions. Using a unique database of UK innovations linked to innovative firms, the empirical analysis highlights the many ways that firms can alleviate information asymmetries and the constraints imposed by collaborative innovation without taking recourse to trademarks. When information asymmetries are not at stake, i.e. when firms use an already existing trademark for their innovations or when they use intermediaries for its distribution, trademarks no longer serve their purpose, leading firms to avoid using it for their innovations. Open innovation also decreases the incentive to trademark, especially when the innovative process involves users, mainly because of property rights issues or because the innovator prefers to use the clients’ own distribution channels.

Keywords: rademarks; innovation; intellectual property; open innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O31 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 pages
Date: 2019-02-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cfn, nep-ino, nep-ipr and nep-sbm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Why do innovators not apply for trademarks? The role of information asymmetries and collaborative innovation (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2019_002

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