ABSTRACT
The draft Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement in 1991 report from Director-General Arthur Dunkel aims to establish standards for the protection of defined intellectual property (IP) rights in the countries party to the agreement, with effective enforcement mechanisms in national legal systems. Many developing countries have abandoned policies inspired by earlier dependency theory, according to which economic advance in global centres was inextricably linked with stagnation and decline at the periphery. Developing countries have experienced the effect of power imbalances in particular disputes over IP rights. The United States has taken or threatened unilateral s.301 trade measures concerning the recognition and protection of IP. The trend in trade negotiations is toward general support for market forces and other policies such as IP rights which favour capital exporters. Technology will be of significant interest to all countries engaged in the international economy. With increased foreign investment in developing countries, an appropriate balance should be maintained in technology contracts.
