Abstract:     In the era of digital economy, international trade has gradually moved from "overall value chain trade" to "digital trade promotion". Relying on cyberspace carriers, digital trade has become an important pillar of overall economic growth in the digital economy era. The academic research on the relationship between intellectual property protection and digital trade mainly involves topics such as intellectual property rules for digital trade, restrictive measures for digital trade, and so on. This paper took 45 major participating countries of digital trade as the research objects, considering the digital services trade as an important representative and core component of digital trade. This study used the data of bilateral trade in digital services, intellectual property protection level, independent innovation, national economy and governance capacity from 2008 to 2019 as samples to construct an improved trade gravity model and conduct empirical test and extended analysis. The results showed that the level of intellectual property protection in importing and exporting countries has a significant promoting effect on digital service trade. The differences in the level of intellectual property protection between importing and exporting countries has an inhibitory effect on digital services trade. The innovation level of exporting countries plays a mediating role in the mechanism of intellectual property protection affecting trade in digital services. Further examining the country differences in the impact of intellectual property protection on the digital services trade mechanism, the analysis finds that the relative difference in governance capabilities between exporting and importing countries will weaken the effect of intellectual property protection on digital services trade, and the impact mechanism is more significant when both import and export countries have signed regional trade agreements (RTA).The theoretical and practical value of this research lies in: (1) It analyzed the supporting role of intellectual property protection on digital services trade from the perspective of technical foundation, key elements, internal structure, external environment, and improving the theoretical mechanism of intellectual property protection affecting digital services trade; (2) The research constructed an improved trade gravity model that introduces institutional variables, explored the relationship between intellectual property protection and digital services trade from aspects such as differences in national governance, whether trade agreements are signed, the level of national economic development, and provided new ideas for the research on the differentiation of intellectual property protection and digital services trade; (3) Through national innovation mediator variable, the research objectively reflected the rules of transmission about intellectual property protection affecting digital services trade; (4) The paper will provide empirical and policy support for using intellectual property protection to stimulate innovation in digital services trade, achieve self-reliance in high-level digital technology, and optimize the structure of digital services trade. The conclusion of this paper will propose some policy recommendations such as using intellectual property protection to stimulate digital services trade innovation, advocating international cooperation & co-governance of digital services trade, and promoting the signing of regional trade agreements.

Key words: intellectual property protection, digital services trade, national difference, national innovation