Point de vue

Abstract

SUMMARY THE WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION, PATENTS, PHARMACEUTICALS, AND THE NORTH-SOUTH-RELATIONSHIP : A POINT OF VIEW FROM THE SOUTH The merits and drawbacks of patent protection for pharmaceuticals are a matter of a longstanding controversy, particularly so as regards international protection. Taking the uneven distribution of technological resources and economic potential as a starting point the author seeks to make a case for an interpretation of international rules of patent protection in favour of developing countries. To this effect he describes, first, the development of these rules, in particular the establishment of the WTO-Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property as a result of a well-defined strategic trade policy, and, second, the different criteria and the scope of patent protection available under national laws, in particular of some developed and some developing countries. He then goes on to broadly define the margin of manœuvre left by international rules for nation-states, and he does so with a view to invite developing countries to make maximum use of that residual autonomy.