The Role of TRIPS Agreement in Sustainable Development: An Overview

Over the past decade, intellectual property is considered a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. We are living in the midst of the rapid development of science and technology, and this technological innovation has transformed the world into a global village. This paper attempts to analyze the relationship between the TRIPS agreement, sustainable development, and the use of technology in a robust manner. It examines technical and legal aspects of the Agreement, as well as some of the possible impacts on the environment and human rights. Despite many years of debate, it was a matter of dispute whether intellectual property is a natural right or of an individual right. Hence, only for better sustainable development, developed and developing countries came forward during the Uruguay Round of trade negotiators that a minimum standard for the protection and enforcement of IPRs was inserted on the international trade agenda in the form of the TRIPS Agreement. As a result of the TRIPS agreement, WTO members are now obliged to introduce an IP system to promote sustainable development. This study is generally exploratory in nature and secondary data have been collected from various published, unpublished sources and publications of the Government of India abroad. The objective of this paper clearly identifies the role of IPR, TRIPS, and sustainable development in a vigorous manner.