Title: Form vs Information: The Regimes of Data Property Rights

Speaker: Xu Xinzhen, Research Associate, School of Economics, Shandong University; Ph.D. in Economics, Tsinghua University. His research direction is digital economy, mainly using industrial organization theory to study issues related to platform economy and data factors. He has published papers in journals such as "Management World".

Abstract: This paper studies how property rights regimes affect the development of corporate data. Starting from the essence of data—its information content and form (which are often inconsistent)—we construct a sequential model in which firms invest by choosing information quality and form. We compare two regimes: information-based protection (under which replication of the same or lower quality constitutes infringement) and form-based protection (under which similar form constitutes infringement regardless of quality). The analysis yields two key results. First, form-based protection leads to more incremental progress, making the market more crowded, but in most cases, it results in higher quality. Second, when comparing subsidy schemes required to achieve maximum development, form-based protection proves to be less costly. These findings remain robust when extending the revenue function and lengthening the time horizon. We further examine extensions of the scope of protection with spillover effects (reducing costs for subsequent developers) and entry restrictions, and conclude by considering joint protection policies.

Date & time: 25 September 2025, 12:15

Venue: B321, Zhixin Building, Central Campus, Shandong University