Article 63.2 of the ON TRIPS agreement stipulates that members must disclose laws and regulations relating to the purpose of the agreement (availability, scope, acquisition, enforcement and prevention of abuse of intellectual property rights). … all categories of intellectual property that are the subject of Sections 1 to 7 of Part II of the Agreement (Article 1: 2). These include copyright and neighbouring rights, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, patents, integrated circuit designs and the protection of undisclosed information. The TRIPS agreement is part of the only obligation arising from the Uruguay Round negotiations. This means that the TRIPS agreement applies to all WTO members. It also means that the provisions of the agreement are subject to the WTO`s integrated dispute settlement mechanism, which is contained in the Dispute Settlement Rules and Procedures Agreement. Prior to the 19869 Uruguay Round negotiations, there was no specific agreement on intellectual property rights within the framework of the GATT multilateral trading system. Trips-plus conditions, which impose standards beyond TRIPS, have also been verified. [38] These free trade agreements contain conditions that limit the ability of governments to introduce competition for generic drug manufacturers.

In particular, the United States has been criticized for promoting protection far beyond the standards prescribed by the TRIPS. The U.S. free trade agreements with Australia, Morocco and Bahrain have expanded patentability by making patents available for new uses of known products. [39] The TRIPS agreement authorizes the granting of compulsory licences at the discretion of a country. The terms of trips plus in the U.S. Free Trade Agreement with Australia, Jordan, Singapore and Vietnam have limited the application of mandatory licences to emergencies, remedies for cartels and abuse of dominance, and cases of non-commercial public use. [39] All WTO members are members of the TRIPS Council. It is responsible for monitoring the functioning of the agreement and, in particular, how members fulfil their obligations under this agreement.