This paper investigates the role of patent protection in the global investment decisions of multinational firms. Using … comprehensive firm-level panel data of German multinationals, we investigate how changes in a host country’s patent protection … influence the extensive and intensive margin of foreign direct investment (FDI) decisions. We isolate the effect of patent …

methods. Our estimations show that the usage of both, patents and secrecy, hinders the innovation activities of firms through … disclosure requirement of patents generates some spillover and at the same time allows firms to appropriate knowledge. In this … paper we empirically analyze whether protection by secrecy or protection by patents is associated with lower knowledge …

methods. Our estimations show that the usage of both, patents and secrecy, hinders the innovation activities of firms through … disclosure requirement of patents generates some spillover and at the same time allows firms to appropriate knowledge. In this … paper we empirically analyze whether protection by secrecy or protection by patents is associated with lower knowledge …

competition towards competition based on technical inventions, a worldwide surge in patenting took place, and the 'patent thicket … manufacturing in 2000, it turns out that patents are important to protect intellectual property in the market, whereas secrecy seems …