Determinants of intellectual property rights protection in Asian developing countries

This data set provides data on intellectual property rights protection (IPRs), economic growth (GDPCAP), trade openness (TRADE), education (EDU), participation in World Trade Organization (WTO), and economic freedom (EF) of 25 Asian developing countries over eleven years from 2006 to 2016. Of the six variables, data for the independent variable IPRs is calculated by the authors. Based on the GP Index designed by Ginarte and Park (1997) and updated by Park (2008), the authors review all patent laws, acts, and amendments of 25 Asian developing countries from 2006 to 2016 to assess and quantify the protection level of each country. Other variables including GDPCAP, TRADE, EDU, WTO, and EF are extracted from published reports and data of World Bank, WTO, and Fraser Institute. The sample of countries is based on the list of developing countries declared by Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (2018). The authors exclude Myanmar, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Palestine, and Iran because they do not provide an official national patent system. We also exclude Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Afghanistan due to unavailable information. The average score of IPRs of developing countries in Asia for the year 2006-2016 is 3.393 out of 5. Overall, pharmaceuticals and plant and animal variables are most often deemed unpatentable. The countries often lack enforcement provisions, especially regarding contributory infringement. Syrian Arab Republic performs the lowest level of IPRs protection, scoring 2.358 while the highest value is recorded to be 4.542 in China. The regression analysis reveals determinants of IPRs protection in 25 Asian developing countries. Economic growth, trade openness, and WTO participation are significant positive determinants. Interestingly, education is found out to have negative impacts on levels of IPRs protection. Economic freedom is not a determinant of IPRs protection. This set of data can be useful for empirical studies that attempt to discover the interfaces between intellectual property rights protection and various subject matters in the economy such as Foreign Direct Investment, firm performance, etc. with an emphasis placed on Asian developing countries or a sub-group of it.