Intellectual property rights (IPRs) have become a topic

on the international trade agenda since the negotiation

and adoption of the Agreement on Trade-Related

Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) as part

of the overall package of agreements leading to the

creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

TRIPS places obligations on all WTO members to offer

specified minimum standards of intellectual property

(IP) protection in a wide range of sectors. But the

agreement also leaves developing countries a certain

amount of flexibility in how they fulfill their obligations.

This flexibility allows countries to tailor their IPR

regimes to their own specific circumstances.