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Holbrook, J. Adam --- "Are Intellectual Property Rights Quanta of Innovation?" [2009] ELECD 480; in Castle, David (ed), "The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology Innovation" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009)

Book Title: The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology Innovation

Editor(s): Castle, David

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781847209801

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Are Intellectual Property Rights Quanta of Innovation?

Author(s): Holbrook, J. Adam

Number of pages: 13

Extract:

1. Are intellectual property rights
quanta of innovation?
J. Adam Holbrook

INTRODUCTION

Policy makers in all levels of government are searching for means of under-
standing the role of innovation in the development of modern societies and
for frameworks upon which they can construct their policies. In general,
they are seeking economic frameworks; rarely do they use innovation
policies as a lever to develop social policies. The reverse is not uncommon:
education policies are sometimes used to foster a climate of innovation.
The problem is simply that most analysts do not differentiate between
innovation in general, a process that produces new ideas and intellec-
tual property rights (IPRs), and specific innovations which can best be
described through IPRs. Frequently policy makers start with the work
of Josef Schumpeter (1961) who identified five forms of innovation: new
products, new processes, new markets, new resources, new organiza-
tions. This categorization of innovations examined the economic effects
of specific innovations, not the process itself. Thus there are clearly
policies and programs in the economic field that can be used to stimulate
Schumpeterian innovation. Even so, in policy terms, the concept of inno-
vation is usually confined to that of technological innovation, as defined
by the OECD in the Oslo Manual:

Technological Product and Process (TPP) Innovations comprise implemented
technologically new products and processes and significant technological
improvements in products and processes. A TPP innovation has been imple-
mented if it has been introduced on the market (product innovation) or used
within a production ...