Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/265412 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 22-039
Publisher: 
ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, Mannheim
Abstract: 
Family firms are known for their reluctance to invest in research and development. We show that strengthened trade secret protection is associated with higher R&D investment by family firms. More specifically, we show that the association between the strength of trade secret protection through the U.S. Uniform Trade Secrets Act and R&D investment is positively moderated by family control. Our results further show that the positive moderation of family control on the association between the strength of trade secret protection and R&D investment varies with the industry context, being stronger in high tech industries and weaker in discrete product industries.
Subjects: 
Family firms
intellectual property protection
trade secret protection
UTSA
R&Dinvestment
socioemotional wealth
JEL: 
O34
O32
G32
M14
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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