The impact of knowledge management on intellectual property risk prevention: analysis from China’s strategic emerging industries

Purpose Because of the globalization of the knowledge economy, intellectual property (IP) rights have become an important tool for maintaining market leadership and controlling emerging market shares. This paper aims to identify the IP risks that China’s strategic emerging industries face in the process of knowledge management in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era seeking to minimize these risks and reduce unnecessary losses. Design/methodology/approach Based on an analysis of the current situation in China’s strategic emerging industries, this paper qualitatively organizes the various types of IP risks faced by China’s strategic emerging industries in their development with knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and knowledge application. This paper further analyzes the factors triggering the risks and proposes endogenous and exogenous IP risk-prevention strategies for China’s strategic emerging industries from the perspective of knowledge management. Findings Adopting a knowledge management perspective, this paper identifies three main intellectual property risks in the knowledge creation, transfer, application processes of knowledge management for China’s emerging industries, including infringement risks related to independent innovation, leakage risks related to international cooperation and ownership risks related to technology transfer. Research limitations/implications Based on the entire technology–product–application process and from a knowledge management perspective, the IP risks in the development of China’s strategic emerging industries are comprehensively elaborated in this paper, providing a theoretical basis for avoiding IP risks that is also widely applicable to other knowledge-intensive industries. Originality/value This paper explicates the IP risk faced by China’s strategic emerging industries in each step of the knowledge management process and suggestions from knowledge management strategy, tools and implementation support mechanism holds promise for business, industry and government IP risk prevention are elaborated specially to promote the development of China’s strategic emerging industries. On the one hand, this paper expanded the research on knowledge management by exploring the relationship between knowledge management and intellectual property rights variables. On the other hand, the findings have practical significance for the stable, long term and efficient development of strategic emerging industries in China as well as other knowledge-intensive industries. Empirical analyses on this subject are suggested for future studies.