Intellectual Property Rights
As everyone is no doubt well aware, over the past decade or so, as intellectual (rather than physical) assets begin to increasingly dominate the world economic scene, intellectual property matters have moved to centre stage in the world of international trade. The rather tangled history of United States - China trade negotiations over intellectual property matters, and the central role that intellectual property played during the negotiations leading to the last round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, are well-known examples of this phenomenon.
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