The digitization of public services is frequently presented as a natural path to expand access to rights and reduce administrative inequalities. But does this transformation actually change behavior and encourage innovation in regions historically more distant from the State?
To answer this question, the research from Reglab’s Innovation and Copyright Fellowship program, authored by João Jatahy, analyzes a practical case: the registration of computer programs at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI).
Until 2017, protecting the authorship of a software required physical travel to the agency’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, intermediation by Regional Units, or the postal dispatch of documents. This model imposed a high “cost of distance,” penalizing developers living far from the Southeast region with greater logistical expenses, time, and uncertainties.
Everything changed in September 2017 with the implementation of the e-RPC (Electronic Computer Program Registration) system, which eliminated these logistical frictions by making the process 100% digital.
The main findings:
- The end of physical borders: After digitization, the increase in the number of software deposits was proportionally much higher precisely in the municipalities furthest from the INPI headquarters.
- Technology as an equity mechanism: The elimination of logistical costs altered the incentives for creators, making the registration of projects viable where costs previously outweighed the benefits of formalization.
The research demonstrates that reducing bureaucracy through digitization acts as a true instrument of territorial equity, capable of democratizing access and expanding the protection of rights throughout the national territory.
To learn more about how digitization reduced these barriers, download the full study.