Narrowing the trademark gap: Lessons from a randomized controlled trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0016969

Initial registration date

October 08, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

October 13, 2025, 10:21 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name

Olli Ropponen

Affiliation

Etla Economic Research

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Jyrki Ali-Yrkkö

PI Affiliation

Etla Economic Research

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Heli Koski

PI Affiliation

Etla Economic Research

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Ilkka Ylhäinen

PI Affiliation

Etla Economic Research

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2025-10-22

End date

2026-12-31

Keywords

Firms & Productivity

Additional Keywords

Intellectual Property, Intangible Capital, Trademarks, Nudging

JEL code(s)

E22, O34, O38

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Innovation and economic growth in advanced economies increasingly depend on intangible assets such as patents and trademarks. This paper examines the causal effect of information provision on firms’ likelihood of applying for a trademark. We combine a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with Difference-in-Differences (DD) analysis using administrative register data. In the RCT, the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) sends randomly selected firms letters containing different types and levels of information about trademarks. We evaluate the impact of the campaign by comparing changes in the number of trademark applications between those receiving no information, standard information and enhanced information. The study not only assesses whether the campaign increases trademark applications but also identifies which types of information is most effective and which firms are most responsive.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Ali-Yrkkö, Jyrki et al. 2025. "Narrowing the trademark gap: Lessons from a randomized controlled trial." AEA RCT Registry. October 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16969-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The study evaluates whether information provision can increase the likelihood of firms applying for trademarks. To identify causal effects, we implement a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in collaboration with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). The intervention builds on the standard practice of information provision, whereby firms are approached with trademark-related information at four stages after incorporation (at incorporation, 1–2 months later, 7–8 months later, and 2–3 years later). Our information campaign overlays this structure by introducing randomized treatments at the second, third, and fourth stages of provision.

Firms are randomly assigned within each cohort to four different groups. One of the groups receives the standard information package, while other groups either do not receive any information or receive one of two enhanced information packages. The information is provided to firms by emails. Randomization ensures comparability within cohorts and allows to isolate the causal effects of the treatments.

Intervention Start Date

2025-10-22

Intervention End Date

2026-02-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The primary outcome is whether a firm files a trademark application.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The study evaluates whether information provision can increase the likelihood of firms applying for trademarks. To identify causal effects, we implement a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in collaboration with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). The intervention builds on the standard practice of information provision, whereby firms are approached with trademark-related information at four stages after incorporation (at incorporation, 1–2 months later, 7–8 months later, and 2–3 years later). Our information campaign overlays this structure by introducing randomized treatments at the second, third, and fourth stages of provision.

Firms are randomly assigned within each cohort to four different groups. One of the groups receives the standard information package, while other groups either do not receive any information or receive one of two enhanced information packages. The information is provided to firms by emails. Randomization ensures comparability within cohorts and allows to isolate the causal effects of the treatments.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomization is done in office by a computer.

Randomization Unit

Firm

Was the treatment clustered?

No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

40133 Firms

Sample size: planned number of observations

40133 Firms

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

40133 Firms

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

A 47 percent increase in the propensity to apply for a trademark is observed in 5000 out of 10000 cases. A 75 percent increase is detected in more than 8500 out of 10000 cases. The baseline is very low as only less than 1 out of 2000 firms applies a trademark on average at each monthly age.

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB