The Effects of Intellectual Property Rights Violations on Economic Growth (Report‪)‬

1. Introduction This paper considers intellectual property rights (IPRs) a fundamental institution for economic growth. We also view the state as equally important because implementing laws to protect property cannot be provided through private means; enforcement must come from a legitimate source. Previous studies focus on the ability of the state to produce and distribute IPR protection [1], or its inability to enforce them [2]. This paper explores the role of IPR violations on economic growth. Specifically, it focuses on the rates at which software piracy is increasing, which demonstrate deteriorations in IPR protection. We hypothesize that countries with rising rates of software piracy exhibit decreasing growth rates of per capita GDP.