The international regulation of intellectual property

The International Regulation of Intellectual Property. — The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will usher in a markedly stronger global system of defining and protecting intellectual property rights (IPRs). This paper first discusses the concept of intellectual property and the need for its protection and regulation. It presents evidence on the wide variations in IPRs across countries and discusses how TRIPS will affect these differences. Theoretical predictions about how this stronger system will influence global trade, investment, and technology innovation and diffusion are ambiguous, but limited empirical evidence suggests a modest positive effect overall. However, the distribution of costs and benefits will vary.ZusammenfassungDie internationalen Regeln über das geistige Eigentum. Das WHO-Abkommen über die geistigen Eigentumsrechte im grenzüberschreitenden Handel (TRIPS) wird ein wesentlich strengeres weltweites System zur Definition und zum Schutz geistiger Eigentumsrechte (IRPs) einführen. Der Verfasser erörtert zuerst das Konzept des geistigen Eigentums und den Bedarf, es zu schützen und zu regulieren. Er liefert Belege für die starken Variationen der IPRs im LÄndervergleich und prüft, wie das TRIPS diese Unterschiede beeinflu\t. Theoretische Voraussagen darüber, wie dieses strengere System auf internationalen Handel, Investitionen sowie Innovation und Verbreitung technischen Wissens einwirken wird, sind unklar, aber begrenzte empirische Befunde deuten allgemein auf bescheidene positive Wirkungen hin. Allerdings wird die Verteilung von Kosten und Nutzen variieren.

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