Since 1995, the World Trade Organization has had jurisdiction over intellectual property rights - including patents, copyrights and trademarks - on a global scale under the auspices of the TRIPs agreement (trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights). This agreement has had profound implications for the commercial interests of global corporate actors and for access to technology in developing countries.

In Globalising Intellectual Property Rights, Matthews looks at various aspects of the TRIPS Agreement: agenda-setting, legal interpretation, implementation, enforcement and revision - from the viewpoint of global business interests and developing countries. It is argued that the Agreement was largely the result of an initiative by multinational companies who sought to protect their own intellectual property through international law, and, furthermore, that it is these multinational companies who are now its main guardians. The book concludes that the history of the TRIPS Agreement...