The importance of Trademarks and a review of empirical studies

Abstract

Many studies have been focused on innovation and patents, less emphasis is given to trademarks, even though these intellectual property assets are more widely used by firms of all types across the whole economy. Various international treaties have been established in order to harmonize the different trademark's registration procedures across countries, and to simplify the application process for applicants targeting multiple countries. The aim of this paper is to make a review of some of the empirical studies done by scholars with trademarks in focus. Which are the motives that urge firms to register a trademark. How are trademarks related to innovation and firm’s size. At the end the paper concludes with some key messages on trademarks and their use by firms. Keywords: trademarks, innovation, empirical studies, intellectual property