Science Research Management

Science Research Management ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (5): 161-169.

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A research on the effect of intellectual property and agricultural openness on new plant variety innovation

Zhang Chao，Zhou Yanping   

  1. College of Economics and Management, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, Shandong, China
  • Received:2019-01-24 Revised:2019-07-03 Online:2021-05-20 Published:2021-05-19

Abstract:     In 1999, China joined the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and began accepting applications for new plant varieties rights at home and abroad, and implementing property rights protection for new plant varieties. In the past 20 years, China has applied for 26,000 pieces and authorized 12,000 pieces agricultural new plant varieties. However, China still faces the problem of significant regional imbalances and low comprehensive benefits, and the existing protection intensity of intellectual property rights is not optimal, and most provinces and regions have lower intellectual property protection, which hinders the coordination and development of regional innovation. In the new era, we must start a new pattern of comprehensive opening up and implement a strategy of quality agriculture and rural revitalization. The international protection of new plant varieties has become increasingly strict, and the call for the upgrading of domestic variety protection treaties and the expansion of protection systems is growing. Under the new situation of continuously expanding openness, how to balance the rational relationship between intellectual property protection, agricultural openness and regional plant variety innovation is a real problem that needs to be answered urgently.
   Based on the combing of domestic and foreign literatures, this paper holds that intellectual property protection, opening up to the outside world and investment in innovative factors have an important impact on the innovation of regional plant varieties. Therefore, using the data of China′s main grain producing areas from 2000 to 2015, this paper examines the effect of intellectual property protection and agricultural openness on plant variety innovation by constructing indicators such as innovation of new plant varieties, openness of agriculture and level of intellectual property protection. The results show that, in the whole regions, intellectual property protection and agricultural openness have significant promoting effects on the promotion of variety innovation, while the interaction between them has inhibitory effects. Then, the China′s main grain producing areas are divided into three major regions: Northeast China, East China and Central China. It is found that intellectual property protection, agricultural openness and the interaction between the two have obvious heterogeneity characteristics for the innovation of different regional varieties. The interaction coefficient is positive, which indicates that with the expansion of agricultural openness, the marginal effect of intellectual property protection on variety innovation will gradually change from the initial obstacle to the promotion. Similarly, if the level of intellectual property protection continues to increase, the marginal effect of agricultural openness on breed innovation will gradually shift from hindrance to promotion. In addition, the number of scientific researchers, R&D expenditures, and fixed assets is also an important factor affecting regional varieties innovation. Finally, aiming at endogenous problems, the robustness test is carried out by replacing intellectual property protection variables with instrumental variable method to verify the robustness of the conclusions above.
    This paper holds that the provinces in the China′s major grain producing areas should combine their own characteristics and implement local policies in order to give full play to the positive effects of intellectual property protection and agricultural openness on plant varieties innovation in the region. Based on this, the article gives some suggestions to improve the innovation ability of regional varieties from the perspective of intellectual property protection and agricultural openness. The government should strengthen the basic legal system for the protection of new varieties of plants, improve the judicial and administrative protection mechanisms, carry out international exchanges and cooperation on intellectual property protection, and promote the protection of new varieties of plants from continuous strengthening to comprehensive and strict transformation. 

Key words: regional plant variety innovation, intellectual property protection, agricultural openness, interaction effect, instrumental variable method