Creation and exploitation – An analysis of Sweden’s Intellectual Property Performance
This paper provides a broad analysis of Sweden’s intellectual property (IP) performance. Based upon this analysis, it suggests possible policy directions, both at the domestic and at the supra-national levels, which can serve to enhance Sweden’s IP performance.
Today, more than ever, the ability to create IP assets, to protect these assets (via intellectual property rights—IPRs) and to exploit them commercially, is pivotal to knowledge-driven economies including that of Sweden.
Far from being a mere technical or legal instrument, IP and IPRs (a more accurate distinction of these two terms is provided later in the document) are ultimately an expression of knowledge and information. More specifically the creation of new types of knowledgebased and informational-based products (such as medicines, software, hardware, telecommunications, films, music, etc) is crucially dependent on the various forms of protection provided by IPRs, such as patents, copyrights and trademarks.
Accordingly, knowledge-driven economies, such as Sweden, place great emphasis on their ability to create, exploit and protect their IP assets, both domestically and, more importantly, internationally.
This paper does the following:
Firstly, it outlines the methodological framework that guides this research.
Secondly, it provides a detailed empirical analysis of Sweden’s global IP performance generally and particularly regarding patents.
Thirdly, using a SWOT-based analysis, it links empirical findings with some policy implications on the future of Sweden’s IP activities.
Finally, the paper provides broad policy suggestions concerning Sweden’s ability to greatly improve its IP performance.
Overall the paper finds that, thus far, Sweden’s IP performance has been impressive, as well as highly beneficiary to its economic well-being. However, the paper also suggests that Sweden’s IP performance is not evenly distributed across all sectors and ?elds of technology. For example, the paper finds some gaps between Sweden’s IP performance as a whole and its performance in the ICT and biotech sectors. Other gaps can also be found between the IP performance of the private and public sectors.
The paper also suggests that Sweden should be mindful of the regional and domestic threats (and opportunities) that may affect its future IP performance.