New international environment for intellectual property rights

This chapter argues that the system so far has responded to some genuine needs for greater protection. The international system of protection was partially strengthened during the 1970s as more countries joined the two main conventions for intellectual property protection (the Paris Convention for patents and the Berne Convention for copyright protection). The significance of intellectual property protection in the area of information technology and services goes well beyond the narrow confines of the sectors in which these services are produced. Intellectual property protection has acquired a high profile partly because of the dramatic stand-off between the United States and developing countries caused by US trade actions. The strength of the US commitment to intellectual property protection derives from the perceptionthat it has a comparative advantage in technology generation. The United States is reported to have held discussions with more than sixty countries on intellectual property protection.