This paper develops a North-South product-cycle model with innovation and foreign direct investment (FDI) to analyze the influences from strengthening intellectual property rights (IPR) protection. Innovation occurs in the North while imitation happens in the South. Southern firms can imitate either goods produced in the North or goods produced by multinationals in the South. We find that if the target of strengthening IPR protection is Northern-produced goods, then such a policy change reduces the innovation rate and raises the North-South relative wage in the long run. However, the effects on the long-run innovation rate and the North-South relative wage reverse if its target is Southern-produced goods by multinationals. As for the pattern of production, strengthening IPR protection raises the long-run extents of FDI and Southern production imitating goods produced by multinationals while reducing the long-run extents of Northern production and Southern production imitating goods produced in the North, regardless of the target of stronger IPR protection. In addition to examining the long-run effects of strengthening IPR protection, we also analyze its effects during the transitional dynamics. The quantitative analysis indicates that the two strengthening-IPR-protection policies cause welfare losses for both Northern and Southern consumers if we consider the accumulated effects during the transitional dynamics.

本文开发了一个包含创新和外国直接投资 (FDI) 的南北产品周期模型，以分析加强知识产权 (IPR) 保护的影响。创新发生在北方，而模仿发生在南方。南方公司可以模仿北方生产的商品或南方跨国公司生产的商品。我们发现，如果加强知识产权保护的目标是北方产品，那么这种政策变化从长远来看会降低创新率并提高南北相对工资。然而，如果其目标是跨国公司在南方生产的产品，则对长期创新率和南北相对工资的影响相反。至于生产方式，加强知识产权保护提高了外国直接投资和南方生产模仿跨国公司产品的长期程度，同时减少了北方生产和南方生产模仿北方生产的产品的长期程度，而不管加强知识产权保护的目标如何。除了检查加强知识产权保护的长期影响外，我们还分析了其在转型动态中的影响。定量分析表明，如果我们考虑转型动态期间的累积效应，两项加强知识产权保护的政策都会导致北方和南方消费者的福利损失。不考虑加强知识产权保护的目标。除了检查加强知识产权保护的长期影响外，我们还分析了其在转型动态中的影响。定量分析表明，如果我们考虑转型动态期间的累积效应，两项加强知识产权保护的政策都会导致北方和南方消费者的福利损失。不考虑加强知识产权保护的目标。除了检查加强知识产权保护的长期影响外，我们还分析了其在转型动态中的影响。定量分析表明，如果我们考虑转型动态期间的累积效应，两项加强知识产权保护的政策都会导致北方和南方消费者的福利损失。