Trade and technology

A techno-globalist approach to IP and supply chain disruption

Philip C. Rogers

A Techno Globalist Approach Hinrich Foundation Mark Cohen For Website

Published 13 October 2020 | 3 minute read

Responding to techno-nationalism need not be a binary choice between decoupling and engagement with China. Global IP-protective strategies can also help remedy the IP theft concerns underlying US-China trade tensions. More practical approaches that incorporate IP strategies can help build stable, durable and resilient supply chains.

This paper is co-authored by Mark A. Cohen and Philip C. Rogers of University of California, Berkeley.

Beyond decoupling and engagement – “techno-globalism?”

Though trade tensions between the United States and China have disrupted global supply chains, responding to techno-nationalism need not be a binary choice between decoupling and engagement with China. Extended supply chain manufacturing entails inputs and factors from multiple countries. One factor is intellectual property (IP) rights. Products made over extended global supply chains tend to be IP-intensive. Focusing on these IP rights as a basis for mitigating disrupted supply chains suggests that a techno-globalist alternative based on strategic diversification may be more appropriate to addressing disrupted supply chains than embracing a binary solution.

This new paper by Mark A. Cohen (Distinguished Senior Fellow and Director at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology) and Philip C. Rogers (PhD candidate, University of California, Berkeley) provides a timely and pragmatic look at ways in which policy makers and companies can build stable, durable and resilient supply chains.

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