Developing Country Perspectives on Intellectual Property in the WTO: Setting the Pre-TRIPS Context

Abstract

In the mid-1980s, developing countries faced counter-pressures from developed countries and knowledge-based multinational companies to agree to the inclusion of strengthened international IP commitments in the multilateral trading system, a prospect they greatly opposed. To break the North-South stand-off, developed countries launched an economic and diplomatic offensive that ultimately forced developing countries to concede. The terms of the TRIPS deal that the supporters won were, however, deeply contested, setting the scene for intense battles over its implementation.

Keywords: TRIPS, WIPO, intellectual property, reform, governance, patent, copyright, implementation, compliance, politics, developing countries, development agenda

JEL Classification: F13, F53, F53, F59, K33, L38, L31, O19, O33, O34