Intellectual property and international trade

"The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is the most far-reaching and comprehensive legal regime ever concluded at the multilateral level in the area of intellectual property rights (IPR). Compared to prior IPR conventions, TRIPS constitutes a major qualitative leap which radically modifies not only the context in which IPR are considered internationally, but also their substantive content and the methods for their enforcement and dispute settlement. This ... treatise, now in its third edition, thoroughly updates its comprehensive analysis of the substantive provisions of the Agreement and their actual interpretation and application in different jurisdictions, with new material on the burgeoning case law and on major changes in plant variety protection ... [The] book may be relied upon for in-depth clarification of such matters as the following: standards established under the agreement; enforcement measures; social and legal issues; legal and policy possibilities offered; legislative latitude allowed to WTO Member States; incorporation of TRIPS into domestic law; protection of integrated circuit design; protection of innovation and R & D for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries; challenges raised by ongoing technological changes; access to medicines; protection of confidential (undisclosed) information; and interface between competition law and intellectual property protection."--