Summary

Developing countries have entered into a large number of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) as well as free trade agreements (FTAs) that include explicit obligations for the protection of intellectual property rights as "investments". These agreements fall outside the arena of multilateral standard-setting on intellectual property rights, and are being strategically pushed by developed countries to advance their industries' economic interests. This study examines whether and how bilateral and regional investment instruments increase the scope and availability of IPR ...