Determinants of Trademarking: Evidence from Arizona and New Mexico Startups

Wang, Haoying and Dou, Shuming (2018): Determinants of Trademarking: Evidence from Arizona and New Mexico Startups.

Abstract

Trademarks are considered an important indicator of entrepreneurial innovation, especially among nontechnology-based service firms and startups. Therefore, it is essential to understand the motivations and drivers behind trademark applications to get a grasp of firm innovation behavior. This study focuses on the trademark decisions of startup firms. The paper assembles a unique dataset of startup firms linking firm trademark application and registration information with firm characteristics. The goal is to empirically examine the determinants of startup trademark decisions. The key results show that firm size is important, and startups of 51-200 employees have the highest propensity of seeking trademarks. Startup location, firm age, and firm type also matter. Within our study area, for example, startups in the Phoenix metro area are significantly more likely to file trademark applications than those in the Albuquerque metro area. Technology-related startups find trademarks less attractive compared to other startups.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Startup, Trademarks, Intellectual Property, SMEs
• Subjects: L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L26 - Entrepreneurship; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O34 - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics

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