Jing Ran | Intellectual Property Protection and International Technology Inflow: An Empirical Study
December 8th-9th,Initiated by the Center for International Finance and Economics Research (CIFER) of Tsinghua University's PBC School of Finance, hosted by Liaoning University, and co-organized by the Center for International Finance and Economics Research (CIFER) and the School of Finance and Trade of Liaoning University, this event..."2023 International Trade Disputes and Globalization Restructuring Academic Symposium"The meeting was successfully held.
Professor at the University of International Business and EconomicsJing RanAttendees included a postdoctoral researcher from Tsinghua University's PBC School of Finance and an assistant researcher at CIFER.Li YuankunHostSub-forum Two: Technological Innovation and Industrial PolicySharing with collaborators a titled "Intellectual Property Protection and International Technology Inflow: An Empirical Study of US Multinational Corporations' Patent Applications in China》。
Jing Ran is currently the Head of the Department of International Trade at the School of International Economics and Trade, University of International Business and Economics, and the Deputy Director of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office for International Economics and Trade under the Ministry of Education. Her main research areas are international trade and industrial organization theory. She previously...Journal of International Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Law, Economics and OrganizationHe has published numerous journal articles in domestic and international journals such as *Economic Research Journal* and *Economics Quarterly*, and has been invited to participate in [various projects/organizations].Handbook on the Economics ofRetailing and Distribution, China's Trade Exchange Rate and Industrial Policy StructureBook writing. Professor Jing Ran has twice won the "An Zijie International Trade Research Award" for outstanding papers and twice received the "Research Pioneer" honor from the University of International Business and Economics. He has presided over National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Project and General Project, and his NSFC Youth Project received an "Excellent" rating.
Jing Ran
In sharing her paper, Jing Ran mentioned that it examines how China's intellectual property protection affects the patent applications of US multinational corporations (MNCs) in China when these companies already possess overseas technology patents. Jing Ran and her collaborators analyzed the issue from a technical perspective, highlighting the innovativeness of the technology. The paper constructs an indicator to measure technological innovation capability. This allows us to observe the quality of early-stage patents, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional patent quality metrics (i.e., citation rates). By merging the patent datasets of US MNCs in China with those of BvD, the paper finds that US MNCs are reluctant to patent their innovative technologies in China. However, strong intellectual property protection in the provinces where foreign investment is located mitigates this resistance. After considering the endogeneity of location selection, the main findings remain robust.
Sui Xiaomei
Sui Xiaomei, Assistant Professor at the University of Hong KongThis article provides an excellent analysis of the different responses of technologies to intellectual property protection. It's encouraging that different technologies react differently, as this hasn't been widely discussed in existing literature. When discussing how to eliminate other explanations, Sui Xiaomei stated that the relatively few innovative technology patents filed by US multinational corporations in China are not due to concerns about technology spillover to Chinese companies, but rather because they face less competition from Chinese companies. Sui Xiaomei pointed out that the number of closed cases may not reflect the actual level of patent protection, and therefore doesn't necessarily reflect the effectiveness of patent protection. Of course, it may depend on the number of patent applications, the severity of patent disputes, etc. However, if the article could further control for confounding factors, the results would be better. Sui Xiaomei also suggested alternative measures: utilizing patent law amendments that benefit patent holders and ownership reforms that clarify the impact of property transfers. Finally, Sui Xiaomei stated that using the median to classify innovative and non-innovative technologies is reasonable. However, it's also possible to try using the 25th percentile and the 10th percentile to show robustness and examine the quantitative differences in empirical estimates. From the perspective of patent citation counts, only a small number of patents are truly "innovative."