Intellectual Property Rights in the Uruguay round-A Disaster for the South

Intellectual Property Rights in the Uruguay Round A Disaster for the South?
Surendra J Patel The negotiations on intellectual property rights going on in GATT since 1987 profoundly affect the prospects of techndlogical transformation of the developing countries. This paper examines the negotiating mandate of the Uruguay Round and its implications; the intellectual property system, particularly the role of patents as they affect developments in the third world; the genesis of the Paris Convention; and the various initiatives taken by third world countries to loosen the constraints imposed by the unbalanced and inequitable operation of the in- dustrial property rights system. The implications of the proposals submitted by the developed countries in the GATT are discussed against this background.