This article reviews intellectual property rights (IPRs), with some emphasis on the protection of agricultural and life sciences innovations. The main institutional features of IPRs are first discussed, along with a brief historical background and an articulation of the main rationale for the existence of such rights. This is followed by an overview of the principal economic issues related to I...

The Project is being implemented by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (Project Number INT/OT/1BH). The broad aim is to improve the understanding of intellectual property rights-related issues among developing countries and to assist them in building their capacity for ongo...

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Recent global developments in the regulation of trade and intellectual property rights threaten to hinder the access of populations in developing countries to essential drugs. The authors argue for state intervention in the health and pharmaceutical markets in order to guarantee equitable access to these products.

This paper explores the interaction between long run economic growth, financial development, and intellectual property rights through a general equilibrium, over-lapping generation, infinite horizon, endogenous R&D model with heterogeneous agents. I find that a reduced collateral constraint leads to both an ability to engage more heavily in research and a reduced incentive to engage in research...

Many recent international agreements sponsored by bodies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), aim to facilitate the global free flow of goods, services and capital, by opening markets under the threat of trade sanctions. Nation States signing such agreements, in particular the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), agree to suffer a sovereignty deficit in order to...

Recent trade disagreements over hormone treated beef, genetically modified foods, and antiretroviral drugs have captured the public interest and revealed the tensions between national public health policies and the need to comply with trade agreements overseen by the World Trade Organisation. A new round of global trade negotiations will be on the agenda next month at the World Trade Organisati...