The TRIPS Regime of Patent Rights: With an Introduction on the History and the Economic Function of Patents

by Nuno Pires de Carvalho

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to a large extent incorporates and/or supersedes all previous international conventions on intellectual property rights. It provides, therefore, for a general and mandatory framework worldwide for the protection and enforcement of those rights. For this reason, the TRIPS Agreement has a direct impact on the daily life of corporations, governments and consumers. This book with the authoritative stamp of an experienced international functionary in the field--formerly with the WTO and currently with the Secretariat of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)-- contains a very practical explanation of the meaning of the patent-related TRIPS provisions, of how they should be reflected in national law and how courts are expected to enforce them. Among the complex questions the book answers in depth are the

544 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002