Uruguay Round TRIPs: A Bibliographic Essay

The Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations began with a special ministerial meeting of the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on September 20, 1986. "Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Including Trade in Counterfeit Goods" (TRIPs) is a designated subject for negotiation in the Uruguay Round. The inclusion of intellectual property rights in the Uruguay Round is the culmination of a process that began during the Tokyo Round. While the Tokyo Round was in progress, the United States and the European Community reached a tentative accord on various issues related to commercial counterfeiting; however, no agreement on commercial counterfeiting resulted from the Tokyo Round.

This essay discusses selected materials on the development of TRIPs as a subject for negotiation in the Uruguay Round and sources of current information on the progress of negotiations.