The effects of intellectual property rights on economicgrowth: An empirical analysis on OECD countries

The products resulting from the use of information and having technologically high added value arise from the results of various research and development (R&D) activities. The protection of the rights of the products obtained as a result of the scientific, intellectual and artistic Works performed has gained importance in this period and the necessity of various protection mechanisms with the aim of protecting the rights in both national and international dimensions has emerged. Intellectual property rights, in this sense, play a very significant role both in protecting the rights of existing works, and in promoting creativity for new ideas and works of art to emerge. Therefore, the protection of intellectual property is a very important factor which, both in the technological field, and in social and economic fields, boosts the progress of the countries and their competitiveness in the international arena. In thes cope of this study, firstly the historical development of the intellectual propertyrights has been examined and then its definition and the relation with the economic growth have been discussed. Later, the importance of protection of intellectual property rights has been analyzed and an econometric application in which the effects of said rights in the OECD countries on economic growth was analyzed has been presented. Within the scope of the application, the effects of protection of intellectual propertyrights on economic growth and R&D investments have beenresearchedandexamined as a conclusion. It has been determined that the protection of intellectual property rights has positive effects on the said areas. Key Words: Intellectual Property Rights, R&D, Economic Growth.