This dissertation adds to the literature on international openness and economic growth by studying and quantifying the effects of openness to trade and multinational production using a model of endogenous innovation with firm heterogeneity. The first chapter discusses the contribution of this dissertation to the theoretical and empirical literature on international openness. The second chapter studies and quantifies the long-run effects of openness to trade and multinational production in the context of advanced economies using a model of endogenous innovation with firm heterogeneity. Counterfactual experiments conducted using a calibrated version of a theoretical model find that the US would experience a significant welfare cost in consumption terms by restricting openness to both trade and horizontal multinational production with other OECD countries, with the growth effect accounting for a substantial part of the cost. Chapter Three extends the theoretical model presented in Chapter Two to include features specific to the North-South context. I show that allowing for the possibility that the South may switch from being an imitator to becoming an innovator is essential for examining the long-run growth effect of stronger intellectual property rights. In particular, the North and the South both prefer stronger intellectual property rights because this will achieve the fastest long-run economic growth. If the South is an imitator country, the North needs to maintain its absolute advantage in technology creation by maintaining a sufficiently large pool of uncopied ideas. Otherwise both countries will fall into a slow-growth equilibrium in the long run. In Chapter Four, I account for transitional dynamics and study the gains from openness and stronger intellectual property rights that arise in the North-South context. Counterfactual experiments based on a calibrated version of the model presented in Chapter Three find that the transitional welfare gains from further trade openness between China and the OECD countries can be significant. In contrast to the existing growth literature, a deterrence of imitation has limited welfare effects when the South can switch from being an imitator to becoming an innovator country. This points to a source of potential bias in the welfare estimates provided by the existing literature. / Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2012-05-18 10:18:34.338

Saskatchewan’s lentil producers are positively impacted when their temporary competitive advantage in the industry, which in part is derived from high yielding Saskatchewan-bred lentil varieties, is eroded though ineffective intellectual property (IP) protection. The ineffective IP protection occurs due to the inconsistency in the enforcement of policies and laws across countries, making it difficult to protect IP when exporting products. Additionally, intellectual property protection of lentils is inefficient is when viable seeds are obtained by other countries through the export of whole seeds. This is because lentils are an open pollinated crop and intellectual property cannot be protected through hybrid seed technology. This is an issue because the Canadian red lentil (CRL) varieties have been bred for the Saskatchewan climate, but are well suited to grow in countries that have similar climates, and therefore are well adapted to large regions of Russia and Kazakhstan. The similarity in growing conditions, coupled with the lack of IP protection for the CRL varieties makes it possible for Russia and Kazakhstan to use imported Saskatchewan bred lentil varieties to grow in their lentil industry. When Russia and Kazakhstan grow the CRL varieties it directly competes with Saskatchewan’s production in the world market, eroding the producer surplus of Saskatchewan producers. This thesis estimates the economic benefit to Canadian growers of restricting access to Canadian varieties through a value chain that genetically protects the CRL varieties by exporting only de-hulled red lentils. A dynamic, multi-country, partial equilibrium model is used to estimate the effects de-hulling CRL varieties before export will have on the Canadian lentil industry. This model determines the effects that de-hulling CRL's will have on Canadian lentil producer's welfare by comparing the results from when there is genetic protection (GP) for the CRL varieties before they are export and then there is no genetic protection (noGP) for the CRL varieties. In my thesis, I examine four potential scenarios for the future lentil production in Russia and Kazakhstan over the next twenty years. The four growth scenarios that are examined for Russia and Kazakhstan’s lentil industries range from no convergence to full convergence. No convergence is when Russia and Kazakhstan continue producing lentils with their 2011 lentil hectares until 2034. Full convergence is when both countries converge to the Canadian lentil industry’s ratio of lentil hectares to spring wheat hectares. The empirical model results show that producer surplus gained by Canadian lentil producers are increased when Canadian firms use GP to protect the intellectual property rights (IPR) of new CRL varieties. My results show that lentil prices in the global market will be modestly higher when there is GP for lentils versus when there is noGP for lentils over the next twenty years. The difference in the prices of the noGP case and the GP case gets larger as Russia and Kazakhstan go from no convergence to full convergence. The price impacts of GP in 2034 range from a $0.52 per tonne increase with no convergence to a $5.92 per tonne increase with full convergence. If the net processing margin is not increased, GP will produce a 2012 discounted price of $2.41 billion over the 2014-2034 period, suggesting only modest returns from GP. When all four convergence scenarios are evaluated and weighted by expected probabilities of occurrence, the estimated overall economic impact for Canadian lentil producers from 2014 to 2034 will be $47.12 million in additional producer surplus (PS), which is equal to an increased price of $3.41 per tonne. For this to be feasible the cost of de-hulling the lentils must be profitable to the processors at $3.41 per tonne or less.

The internet offers music lovers virtually limitless possibilities. Unfortunately internet also gives music pirates a new weapon: peer-to-peer (P2P technologies), ftp and unauthorized internet sites. National copyright laws generally mirror the international laws. New technologies have spawned new laws, so this effort is more important than ever. Specific copyright legislation needs to be revised, especially those concerning internet service provider liability for the copyright infringements committed by their users as well as administrative and criminal law.

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As developing countries have grown aware of the effects of pollution and resource depletion, industrialized countries that produce environmental goods and services have secured new markets where to export them. In this manner, increased concerns over environmental degradation have led to the growth of the green technology sector which is currently in full expansion. The purpose of the thesis is, therefore, to uncover the dynamics of such exchanges by exploring the interactions of Quebec environmental firms in the People's Republic of China (PRC). / Results indicate that the PRC presents accommodative structures that are compatible with those found in Quebec, but an inappropriate level of protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs). This scenario gives the PRC a certain advantage since most local firms are able to reproduce foreign technologies without being constrained by issues of intellectual property. Combining theoretical and practical approaches, the thesis uncovers that accommodative conditions do not supersede the question of IPRs when attempting to ensure transfers. Even though the current state of these factors affects the nature of the agreements, the environmental aspect of these technologies seems to facilitate the transactions.

This thesis analyses the utilization of intellectual property rights (IPRs) by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), their contribution to economic and technological development and policies to be implemented for the SMEs to make more use of the system in order to reach a desired level of growth. Small and medium-scaled enterprises constitute more than 90 % of all firms almost all over the world and a substantial proportion of employment and turnover. This fact bares the necessity for the SMEs to make more use of the intellectual property rights system which is one of the components of innovation and technological growth, in order to achieve the desired level of economic and technological development. This paper discusses the existing and possible contribution of the IPRs obtained by SMEs to economic and technological development and the policies to be implemented in order to encourage intensive utilization of the system by the SMEs. The results of surveys previously carried out both in Turkey and abroad are incorporated within the results of a survey which was organized in the context of this thesis among 86 enterprises in 12 organized industrial zones all over Turkey. The latter survey measures the IPR utilization of the SMEs and the reasons behind under-utilization. Among the firms studied, 60 % of them are R&amp / D performers, 34 % have a distinct R&amp / D department while 56 % of them reported to have developed a new product, process or design. However only one third of these innovative firms have had an IP application and the percentage was even lower with IPR supports / only 2.3 % of the firms applied for IPR supports. The main reason for this underutilization of both IPRs and IPR supports was found as lack of awareness. Policy proposals were tried to be put forward depending on the findings of the survey and raising awareness was defined as the most important measure to be taken.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-124). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xi, 124 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This study critically investigated the argument whether intellectual property rights over life forms and processes would ensure food security. It only considered the issue from the perspective of developing countries, as they are the ones who are hardest hit by recurrent drought and food insecurity. Protections within TRIPS (Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights) and debates underpinning it formed the essence of the research.

This thesis consists of three essays on the regulation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and trade in open economies. The rst chapter investigates the di erences in Intellectual Property Rights between countries. The analysis of a cross-country panel reveals that the protection of IPRs is higher in countries that are (i) richer, (ii) more productive in R&D and (iii) more open to trade. It is then shown that the rst two facts can be explained in a model where innovations are a global public good and where demand for innovations is non-homothetic in income. The second chapter addresses the third observation. If trade is driven by large di erences in productivities across countries and sectors then having strong IPR protection can become more bene cial for the individual country, since a part of the associated costs are passed onto the trading partners. The third chapter aims to explain why and when countries link agreements on trade with agreements that regulate the provision of global public goods. It shows that a linkage is particularly attractive if countries are di erent in size.

In the knowledge economy, the 'creative industries' are recognised as a new paradigm. They are industries which use creativity as an intangible asset to generate wealth. The creative industries are described as 'evolving' and their outcomes frequently categorised as 'intangibles'. The thesis outlines what I term a creative industries approach to the engagement of visual artists with industry. The artist-in-industry program, a component of New Possibilities for Paper, was established with an explicit brief to generate creative products and contained an implicit agenda to breed intellectual capital. It was conceived as a means of crossfertilising hitherto siloed sectors -- an arts environment with entrenched attitudes towards the subsidy, proprietorship and authority of creativity and the traditionally conservative paper industry. Establishing creative industries characteristics and indicators to describe and measure creative industries operation in this program required careful consideration, with the characteristics and indicators selected able to recognise trends or changes. The analysis of the seven partnerships confirmed that the artistin-industry program is a creative industries approach upon which future programs between visual artists and the paper industry could be constructed. The research found that the creative industries processes in most need of being addressed, if visual artists are to maximise their benefits, included an understanding and utilisation of intellectual property, knowledge of commercialisation processes and a positive attitude towards commercialisation. For paper companies that invest in R&D, there is recognition that potential tangible and intangible benefits can result from engaging in such partnerships. Additionally, a partnership in which the artist's role (or service) is focused on the industry's customers and contributes to employee knowledge was seen as being of greatest value to the paper industry.