Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14498
Authors: Michela Giorcelli; Petra Moser
Abstract: This paper exploits exogenous variation in the adoption of copyrights – as a result of the timing of Napoléon’s military victories in Italy – to examine the effects of copyrights on creativity. To measure changes in creative output we compare changes in the creation of new operas across states with and without copyrights. Difference-in-differences analyses show that basic copyrights increased both the number and the quality of operas, measured by their popularity and durability. Notably, there is no evidence of comparable benefits for extensions in copyright lengths. Complementary analyses for other types of musical compositions confirm the main results.
Keywords: copyright; creativity; intellectual property; institutions; napoleon; opera
JEL Codes: K11; O3; O33; O34; N3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Copyright adoption (O34) | Opera creation (Y60) |
| Copyright adoption (O34) | Quality of operas (L15) |
| Copyright adoption (O34) | More popular operas (Z11) |
| Extensions of copyright lengths (O34) | Creative output (L82) |