Intellectual property rights and Korean economic development: the roles of patents, utility models and trademarks

Abstract

This analysis of trends in the number of filings for patents, utility models and trademarks in Korea from 1962 to 2009 identifies a close relationship between the evolution of the mix of these three types of intellectual property rights and the development pathway of the Korean economy, characterized by the successive leading roles of low-technology domestic market-oriented consumer goods industries, assimilation of advanced technologies through imitation, and the development of research- and innovation-intensive, high-technology export-oriented industries. The research provides empirical support for Schumpeterian analyses of technological catch-up starting from production and passing through imitation to innovation, and highlights the role not just of patents but also of other types of intellectual property rights in explaining economic and technological development.