Trade-Related Intellectual Property Services (TRIPS)

The TRIPS Agreement which came into effect on 1 January 1995, is to date the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on trade-related intellectual property. The areas of intellectual property that it covers are notably copyright and related rights (i.e. the rights of performers, producers of sound recordings and broadcasting organisations). Other areas include trademarks including service marks; geographical indications including appellations of origin; industrial designs; patents including the protection of new varieties of plants; the layout-designs of integrated circuits; and undisclosed information including trade secrets and test data.

The TRIPS agreement is to be reviewed and possibly amended, according to its in-built agenda, and will therefore form part of the negotiations within the framework of the New Round in WTO.