Trademark | EPFL Graph Search

A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others. The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity. A trademark may be located on a package, a label, a voucher, or on the product itself. Trademarks used to identify services are sometimes called service marks. The first legislative act concerning trademarks was passed in 1266 under the reign of Henry III of England requiring all bakers to use a distinctive mark for the bread they sold. The first modern trademark laws emerged in the late 19th century. In France, the first comprehensive trademark system in the world was passed into law in 1857. The Trade Marks Act 1938 of the United Kingdom changed the system, permitting registration based on "intent-to-use", creating an examination based process, and creating a

Innovation capacity of the agricultural sector: network of productive interactions, knowledge transfer and differentiation mechanisms

Camille Marguerite Aouinait

Economic growth is increasingly explained and driven by knowledge acquisition and firmsâ capabilities to adapt to new evolving situations to fit economic, societal and environmental frames. Strategic behavior of private companies in differentiating and promoting their products and services is crucial for their competitiveness. In parallel, public research performed at different territorial levels and by a high diversity of actors is a strategic source of key assets adding value to the firms. External actors operate in a non-linear structure allowing frequent feedback and interactive loops in order to optimise the replies to substantial problems and constantly valorise their resources. These features are explored in the thesis through different projects. This dissertation is motivated by international negotiations in the frame of the GATT agreements and bilaterally between the European Union and Switzerland that are going towards the breakdown of borders, threatening the competitiveness of the Swiss agriculture. Negative externalities will affect small firms composing this agricultural network. Thus, the dissertation is focusing on innovation as a strategic asset to maintain the competitiveness and differentiate the domestic agricultural products. The first research project concentrates on interactions occurring in the Swiss apricot network. We investigate the types of interactions producing innovations that come from different sources that are internal or external to the agricultural production supply chain. We use network theory to model the structure of the domain and understand what is inherent to innovation production thanks to collaborations through an empirical work. In the second research project, we examine whether there is a connection between the issues faced by small companies producing food and the innovative solutions and knowledge generated by research institutions. The importance of solutions to daily activities conducted by companies depends on the nature of the sector. Thus, research projects providing outputs like publications might not specifically target these issues. Moreover, access, awareness and affordability of innovations can be hindering factors for small firms composing a low-technology intensive sector. Gaps of knowledge transfer, innovation and implementation are identified in this setting. In the last research project, we address market failures hampering economic and strategic management decisions encountered in the agricultural sector. We empirically construct two case studies highlighting the necessity of intellectual appropriation mechanisms. We explore the use of patents and regional trademark to add value to the emblematic product of a small region. Organisational and marketing innovations have to be supported and diffused by key stakeholders, aiming a good communication based on criteria that take into account diverse interests of those stakeholders; consumers have to be involved in the innovation process. Furthermore, knowledge transfer, innovation generation, diffusion and implementation rely upon the will of stakeholders to take part in an efficient process of interactions and communication in order to produce and perform useful products and services. Practical implications are levered in the projects presented. Finally, digital technologies are efficient for information exchange and can decrease time and transaction costs. These technologies are explored as part of the solution to small firmsâ

EPFL2019

On the price elasticity of demand for trademarks

Gaétan Jean A de Rassenfosse

One underexplored factor directly affecting firms' use of trademarks relates to the fees associated with obtaining a mark. This paper provides econometric estimates of the fee elasticity of demand for trademark applications. Using a panel of monthly international trademark applications, I find that a 10-percent increase in fees leads to a 2.5-4.0-percent decrease in applications. The econometric analysis also highlights that trademark filings react strongly to economic activity. The results bear implications for literature on the value of trademarks and for the use of trademarks as innovation indicator. Specifically, low elasticity estimates suggest that trademarks provide significant economic value to their owners relative to their costs. However, one must exercise caution when comparing trademark numbers across countries to the extent that fees might differ substantially.

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD2019

Building a new coupled techno-economic model framework for analyzing internationally integrated electricity markets

Sophie Maire

The Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 pursues an ambitious transition to a more renew- able and efficient energy future, combining CO2 and energy saving targets with a phase-out of nuclear electricity generation. This transition poses challenges not only for the political domain, but also concerning the adequate modeling of technical and economic aspects, such as advancements in renewable energy and storage technologies, market liberalisation and international market integration, and the economic and social impacts of alternative economic instruments. This research investigates whether a Swiss carbon-free electricity sector remains feasible after the nuclear phase-out, how it would affect the Swiss economy and which policies would be needed to introduce the related transition towards renewable technologies and enhanced energy efficiency in an economically efficient way. To address such questions adequately, we need a modeling tool that provides both sufficient technological detail and consistent economic insight. With this in mind, we build a modeling framework that encompasses for Switzerland and its neighboring countries: • a multi-sectoral description of the economy based on general equilibrium and microeconomic theory, which represents electricity demand by economic sectors and households and illustrates effects of energy policy scenarios on welfare and other macroeconomic indicators. • a detailed representation of electricity supply technologies, resource potentials, costs, and international electricity trade, including grid-related restrictions, intra-day load curves, seasonal variations, and dynamic management of reservoirs. This framework consists of three coupled models: (1) GENESwIS, an energy-related dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of Switzerland, (2) CROSSTEM, an energy systems model that provides the technological details of electricity supply for Switzerland and its neighboring countries, and (3) GEMINI-E3, a dynamic-recursive CGE model, which adds the global climate policy and trade dimension to the framework. The coupling algorithm involves soft coupling of these three models for central equilibrium prices and quantities. At the workshop, we present work in progress. This includes important methodologi- cal issues that arise when trying to safeguard consistency in the coupling of prices between bottom-up and top-down models. Furthermore, we intend to present preliminary results from simulations with a coupled framework which consists of the first two models mentioned above, i.e. (1) the Swiss CGE model GENESwIS coupled with (2) the Swiss version of the electricity supply model CROSSTEM.