Does Knowledge Protection Benefit Shareholders? Evidence from Stock Market Reaction and Firm Investment in Knowledge Assets

57 Pages Posted: 21 Feb 2017

See all articles by Buhui Qiu

Buhui Qiu

The University of Sydney - Discipline of Finance; Financial Research Network (FIRN)

Teng Wang

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: 2017-02

Abstract

This paper studies whether knowledge protection affects shareholder value and firms' investment in knowledge assets using the staggered adoptions and rejections of the inevitable disclosure doctrine (IDD) by U.S. state courts as exogenous changes in the level of knowledge protection. We find positive (negative) abnormal stock returns around the IDD adoption (rejection) day for firms headquartered in the state and uncover a positive IDD treatment effect on firms' investment in knowledge assets. Moreover, the effects on stock returns and knowledge assets investment are stronger in more knowledge-oriented industries and firms. Finally, enhancing knowledge protection does not discourage local entrepreneurial activity.

Keywords: Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine, Investment in Knowledge Assets, Knowledge Protection, Shareholder Value

Suggested Citation

Qiu, Buhui and Wang, Teng, Does Knowledge Protection Benefit Shareholders? Evidence from Stock Market Reaction and Firm Investment in Knowledge Assets (2017-02). FEDS Working Paper No. 2017-012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2920448 or http://dx.doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2017.012

Buhui Qiu (Contact Author)

The University of Sydney - Discipline of Finance ( email )

Room 513, The Codrington Building
The University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

Financial Research Network (FIRN)

C/- University of Queensland Business School
St Lucia, 4071 Brisbane
Queensland
Australia

Teng Wang

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

Centralbahnplatz 2
Basel, Basel-Stadt 4002
Switzerland

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