ABSTRACT
One of the most contentious areas of international trade politics concerns the regulation of intellectual property rights. This chapter explores the origins of the WTO agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). It explains how a strong global regime to protect and enforce intellectual property came about, despite the lack of an international consensus on the social or economic benefits of the intellectual property protection. A case study on access to life-saving drugs shows how the TRIPs agreement has made developing countries worse off and exacerbated global inequity.
