Boosting Pharmaceutical Innovation in the post-TRIPS Era: The Real-Life Lesson for the Developing World

摘要

Intellectual property rights are often considered to have originated in the developed world. Norms found in the international agreements harmonising national laws, such the Paris Convention or Berne Convention, do indeed have their origins in Europe, and the developing countries often signed on to the agreements late and took a less active role in the setting the norms. The WTO TRIPS Agreement, which contains a set of most comprehensive and substantive minimum standards of protection, has also been largely negotiated on the initiative of developed nations, and has been bargained as an annex to an international trade agreement. After two decades of operation, the WTO TRIPS Agreement has matured and the implementation of the minimum standards is now in full effect in most of the developed and developing world.