Reflections On 'Development,' 'Developing Countries' And The 'Progressive Development' Of International Trade And Intellectual Property Law

摘要

We have recalled that the developing countries now form the majority of WIPO and WTO's membership. To be sure, over 75 percent of WIPO Member States and WTO Members are developing countries.57 This preponderance of developing country members in WIPO and WTO is a recent development which has been accelerated by the attainment of independence of several developing countries in the last few decades. Whereas developing countries did not have much of a role in the formation and the initial discussions that took place in both organizations, they have now become major players as well as stakeholders in the multilateral IP and trade discussions. There is also a deeper understanding of the potential of IP and trade as tools for development, and thus their implications on the socio-economic development of countries.~(58)