Int. J. Intellectual Property Management, Vol. 5, Nos. 3/4, 2012 199 Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. The impact of socio-demographic factors as potential predictors of the attitudes of public sector personnel on intellectual property rights and their implications Jane Payumo* Office of Research and Office of Intellectual Property Administration, Washington State University, 1610 NE Eastgate Blvd., Suite 650, Pullman, WA 99163-5623, USA E-mail: jpayumo4@wsu.edu *Corresponding author Howard Grimes Washington State University, 324 French Ad Grimes Way, Pullman, WA 99164-1030, USA E-mail: grimes@wsu.edu Keith Jones Kijani, Pullman, WA 99163, USA E-mail: kj35102@gmail.com Abstract: This paper presents the results of a web-based survey done to determine the attitudes of public sector personnel in developing countries in Asia on the major implications of intellectual property rights (IPRs) to public sector institutions’ access of technologies, research focus, and dissemination of knowledge and technology. Specifically, the survey involved research administrators and scientists (n = 283) from public agricultural biotechnology research institutions in India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Estimates of ordinal logistic regression clearly show that in general, attitudes of respondents toward the implications of IPR are affected by socio-demographic characteristics with education, position held, and country of citizenship as significant influential factors. This econometric analysis may serve as reference for institutions developing capability training programmes, including identification of target training groups, to more actively promote the understanding of IPR and their implications to public research institutions in developing countries. Keywords: intellectual property rights; IPRs; public sector; econometric; ordinal logistic regression. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Payumo, J., Grimes, H. and Jones, K. (2012) ‘The impact of socio-demographic factors as potential predictors of the attitudes of public sector personnel on intellectual property rights and their implications’, Int. J. Intellectual Property Management, Vol. 5, Nos. 3/4, pp.199–212.