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How Do New Technologies Diffuse?
Economic Research Working Paper No. 91
Technology diffusion is central to economic development. This paper examines diffusion patterns for 31 technologies for 139 countries over two centuries, extending existing databases to include recent digital technologies and renewable energy technologies. Using cross-country panel regressions, we find that while adoption lags have declined from 50 years (pre-1950) to 15 years (post-2000), adoption intensity in developing economies remains at 53% of advanced economy levels. We document diverging intensity for older technologies but emerging convergence for post-2000 technologies, suggesting digital innovations may reduce the technology gap. These findings inform policies aimed at accelerating technology diffusion to developing economies.
Publication year: 2026
World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Technology on the Move - Executive Summary
This Executive Summary highlights the key findings of WIPO's flagship World Intellectual Property Report 2026.The World Intellectual Property Report 2026 reveals striking patterns in how technologies spread globally, with profound implications for economic development.
World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Technology on the Move
Pushing the world's technological frontier by inventing new and better technologies is a necessary condition for long-term growth. For new and better technologies to raise economic productivity, they need to be widely adopted and used in the economy. Technology diffusion is a central part of the innovation journey. This report explores how different technologies diffuse within and across economies globally and the role of innovation ecosystems to foster it.
Innovation Capabilities Outlook 2026
This inaugural edition presents groundbreaking analytical methodology using patents, trademarks, publications, and exports data to comprehensively map global capability networks and systematically examine strategic diversification pathways for worldwide innovation ecosystems. Innovation Capabilities Outlook 2026 establishes a global baseline for innovation ecosystem analysis.
The Future is Under the Glass: Digital Design Protection and Appropriation Strategy
Economic Research Working Paper No. 97
The paper examines how legal certainty shapes protection and appropriation of digital designs such as icons, animations, and layouts. Leveraging the 2012 Apple v. Samsung verdict as a decisive clarification of their protectability and enforceability, we analyze USPTO design patents from 2009–2015 using a matched difference-in-differences approach. We show that legal certainty reduces due diligence costs far more than monitoring costs. This asymmetry lowers the threshold for securing protection, leading to a 9 percent increase in digital design patents. At the same time, appropriation shifted away from licensing toward transfers, with the effect strongest in dense design spaces where monitoring costs remain high despite increased legal certainty. These findings extend transaction cost theory by showing that legal certainty unevenly reduces transaction costs, which in turn alters protection thresholds and shifts appropriation strategies. They also demonstrate how policy changes influence innovation when value is created “under the glass.”.
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Regulations under the PCT (as in force from January 1, 2026)
The Patent Cooperation Treaty makes it possible to seek patent protection for an invention simultaneously in each of a large number of countries by filing an "international" patent application. Such an application may be filed by anyone who is a national or a resident of a Contracting State.
The Technological Potential of Innovation Ecosystems: An Inter-Dimensional Network Approach
Economic Research Working Paper No. 90
In developing countries' innovation activities, limited patenting suggests structural gaps that hinder technological progress. This paper investigates whether countries can leverage their scientific and productive capabilities to realize untapped technological potential. We analyze connections between trade, science, and technology across global innovation ecosystems and introduce an indicator to assess where countries are positioned to expand their technological capabilities. Our results show that the indicator predicts technological output growth, though growth slows when countries exceed their predicted potential, indicating diminishing returns. The indicator performs better in more complex ecosystems. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, offering a framework to address weaknesses in innovation ecosystems and foster balanced, sustainable technological development.
Country Perspectives: Canada's Journey
Canada's Journey in the "Unlocking IP-backed Financing Series" provides an overview of the IP finance landscape in Canada, highlighting its importance for SMEs. It explores the use and ownership of IP by Canadian businesses, as well as the regulatory and non-regulatory challenges affecting IP-backed financing. The report highlights Canada's experience in implementing dedicated IP-backed lending programs, which have provided significant funding to IP-rich firms since 2020. It also outlines government support for IP development and future plans to expand SME access to IP financing, fostering innovation and growth.
Publication year: 2025
WIPO IP Facts and Figures 2025
Drawn from the comprehensive World Intellectual Property Indicators 2025, this useful summary guide explains key trends and takeaways, illustrated throughout with intuitive data visualizations.
Intellectual Property Adjudication in Sri Lanka
The Intellectual Property Benchbook Series is a set of practical manuals on IP law and procedure to assist judges in adjudicating IP cases appearing before them in their own courts, as well as for readers interested in learning about judicial adjudication of IP disputes across jurisdictions. This title in the series provides a guide to the judicial management of IP disputes at each stage of adjudication in Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on procedural aspects. This title was drafted by an experienced retired judge with the perspective of sharing good practices with judicial peers.