Innovation patterns and intellectual property in SMEs of a developing country

Abstract

Based on empirical results, this article reopens the discussion about the relationship between intellectual property and innovation in developing countries.intellectual property grants a monopoly over the commercial exploitation of innovations.ex ante, this monopoly may promote innovation but ex post it may become a disincentive to diffusion and subsequent innovation.after reviewing the terms of the debate in the classical and current literature, we address two empirical issues: What patterns of intellectual property behavior coexist among the small and medium enterprises (smes) of a developing country (Colombia) and how these patterns relate to the innovation performance of these firms.