Innovation and apropriability in the Brazilian manufacturing firms

Abstract

The aim of this paper is analyze appropriability impact on innovation in the Brazilian manufacturing firms. Our methodology is microeconometrics and we use firm level microdata from Brazilian innovation survey, 2003, 2005 and 2008 editions. Our results show more use of mix of appropriability mechanisms (MAM) than patents, which suggest an weak intellectual propriety institutional environment. Our probit panel regressions reveals that patents improve all R&D activity and product innovation but not internal or external R&D, trade mark as well. The result is quite similar to MAM, which suggests that firms in the industry as a whole not only mix up appropriability mechanisms but also gives special importance to classical knowledge industry protection as patents and trade mark. As conclusion, those results are quite important once innovation policy seems more important that industrial policy as recent USA (2011) official position highlight.