Rami Olwan

The recognition of intellectual property rights is integral to innovation systems and assumes even greater significance when products and services are traded in global markets. The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) which was adopted at the conclusion of the Uruguay Round established for the first time a formal link between the regulation of the world trading system and intellectual property rights in internationally traded goods and services.

The value of an intellectual property (IP) regime to a developing country (or for that matter a developed country) is the subject of increasing debate. On one side IP evangelists argue that IP laws can stimulate untold innovation and provide a foundation for economic progress. On the other side IP sceptics or abolitionists question whether IP laws really incentivise innovation or simply represent an unforeseen burden on social and economic development.