Inventory of Relevant International Negotiations, Activities and Processes on Intellectual Property
Intellectual property (IP) has become an important item on the agenda of many intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society in general. These discussions are having a strong impact on the design and implementation of public policies and strategies of many national Governments. The Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) came into full effect in developing countries in 2000. TRIPS contains minimum standards for the protection of intellectual property rights.
The present inventory is a compilation of essential basic information on international negotiations, processes and relevant activities related to IP. It is presented through tables focusing on IPR issues considered important for further research and technical cooperation projects and, more broadly, for decision-making processes. The inventory draws on information found on IGO and NGO websites, and has benefited from informal consultations with officials from some of the institutions covered in this document.
The inventory comprises a table dealing with TRIPS in general (Table I) and 11 other tables (Tables II to XII) covering sectoral IP issues. A brief description of the relevant organizations working on IP, referred to throughout this document, is provided in an annex.
Each table describes the negotiations, activities and processes carried out by the selected IGOs, national cooperation agencies (NCAs) and NGOs, in that order. The presentations begin with a description of the activities of IGOs, followed by NCAs and lastly by NGOs. Within each table, the activities and processes involving the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are listed first among the IGOs.