ABSTRACT
The rationale behind Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is to safeguard the intellectual property rights embodied in products sold within member countries. TRIPS is a multilateral treaty under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It binds signatory countries to a wide range of undertakings in the field of intellectual property rights (IPRs). The agreement addresses the three main classifications of IPRs. These are patent, copyright and trade mark. It is against this background that we can appreciate the relationship between TRIPS and world trade today. Intellectual property rights loosely represent a class of intangible rights which the law protect in favour a person who has exploited his/her talents, thus resulting in the production of a commercially useable work. Where the law accords protection to such rights, it might be in the form of patent, copyright or trade mark.
