Evolutionary game analysis of multiple stakeholders in e-commerce intellectual property based on social co-governance theory

Introduction Establishing a social co-governance system for intellectual property (IP) protection in e-commerce is crucial for strengthening the IP protection framework, fostering a conducive business environment, and promoting the high-quality development of China’s e-commerce sector. Methods Grounded in social co-governance theory, this study constructs a multi-stakeholder framework for e-commerce IP protection, encompassing the government, e-commerce platforms, operators, and consumers. An evolutionary game model is developed to capture stakeholders' strategic interactions, and numerical simulations are performed to examine the dynamic evolution of their behavioral strategies. Results The results indicate that strategic decisions are significantly influenced by action costs and benefits, the intensity of rewards and penalties, and social reputation. The simulation analysis further shows that well-designed reward-punishment mechanisms can effectively enhance stakeholders’ incentives for IP protection. Discussion These mechanisms facilitate the emergence of a stable social co-governance equilibrium and enhance the overall effectiveness of IP protection in e-commerce environments. The findings provide theoretical insights and policy implications for improving collaborative governance mechanisms in digital marketplace regulation.