Intellectual property rights and the Third World

摘要

Issues of generation, protection and exploitation of intellectual property (IP) are assuming increasing importance. The new IP regimes will have wide ranging socio-economic, technological and political impact. As per the obligations under the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Systems (TRIPS), all the members of World Trade Organization (WTO) are supposed to implement national systems of intellectual property rights following an agreed set of minimum standards. However, there is an increasing feeling that harmonization is demanded from those that are not equal, either economically or institutionally. The major concerns of the Third World about such harmonization and the new challenge it faces in diverse areas of intellectual property protection are discussed and some suggestions about the way ahead are made.