Project Title: Product Market Competition and Corporate Trademarks
Project Period: December 2015 - December 2018
We investigate how product market competition influences the creation of firms' trademarks, which represent the innovative output of firms' product development activities and marketing strategies. On one hand, intensified competition threat motivates firms to create more trademarks to enhance their competitive position and deter the entry or expansion of their rivals. On the other hand, increased product market competition may discourage firms from undertaking risky product development innovation, resulting in fewer trademark applications. As it is unclear a priori which effect will prevail, there is a need for empirical evidence to inform theory.