ABSTRACT
Imitation of goods is a growing and widespread phenomenon which has historically had great significance in the making of global business and also on the economic development of countries (Berg 2002; Béaur et al. 2007; Mihm 2007; Barry and Thrift 2007; among others). The concept of “imitation” never had a universal meaning. It changed over time and across cultures, but has always been associated with issues of appropriation of reputation and legitimacy that belong to an innovator. In the present day, a common way for innovators to prevent imitation in most markets is through protection of intellectual property, such as the registration of trademarks, patents, or copyrights (North 1981; Landes and Posner 2003; Maskus 2000; Horii and Iwaisako 2007). However, that has not always been the case, in particular before intellectual property laws were in place and enforced in different countries (Lopes and Casson 2012).
