The internationalisation of international trade and business has meant spreading of investment locations, assets and ownership of firms among nations. This strategic move by TNCs (Trans – National Corporations) is facilitated by the availability of large pools of scientifically and technically trained manpower the world over. Consequently, the resultant increase in competitive intensity has resulted in mounting pressures on profitability and survival of companies. There is an inherent realisation amongst firms of the need to create a competitive advantage and a core competency. However, as competition takes on a global perspective becoming more and more intense, the need to sustain and protect what one innovates for the realisation of rents is greater than ever before. While the firms concern themselves with the continuous generation of rents, the national governments concern themselves with the intellectual and financial growth of their countries. The material progress and advancement of any society or nation depends on the capacity of its people to apply their minds to invent something of value. Thus, it becomes imperative for the society as such and the governments in particular to provide incentives to stimulate such acts resulting in the creation of intellectual property. Within the context of global technology transfers, the consequences of globalisation being disproportionately distributed across nations, protection of intellectual property takes on very complicated dimensions both for firms as well as nation states. Considering the above appreciation, the attempt in this paper has been to increase our knowledge about intellectual property rights and the impact of the competitiveness of a developing economy like India.

Prepared as Master of Science Thesis (Norwegian School of Management) by Kumar,