Do Trademarks Diminish the Substitutability of Products in Innovative Knowledge-Intensive Services?

33 Pages Posted: 2 Sep 2013

See all articles by Dirk Crass

Dirk Crass

ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research

Franz Schwiebacher

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: May 15, 2013

Abstract

Trademarks are often supposed to reduce substitutability and imitability of product innovations. Using German CIS data for 2010, we provide empirical evidence that trademarking firms assess easy product substitutability as less characteristic for their competitive environment. This is particularly the case for knowledge-intensive service providers, product innovators and firms which consider trademarks as important intellectual property rights. This suggests that trademarks are an important supplementary mechanism to protect innovations in knowledge-intensive services.

Keywords: Trademarks, product differentiation, innovation, services

JEL Classification: O32, O34

Suggested Citation

Crass, Dirk and Schwiebacher, Franz, Do Trademarks Diminish the Substitutability of Products in Innovative Knowledge-Intensive Services? (May 15, 2013). ZEW - Centre for European Economic Research Discussion Paper No. 13-061, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2319344 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2319344

Dirk Crass (Contact Author)

ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research ( email )

P.O. Box 10 34 43
L 7,1
D-68034 Mannheim, 68034
Germany

Franz Schwiebacher

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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