International intellectual property agreements and organizations

Patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other forms of intellectual property (IP) rely on property rights created primarily by national governments. International IP agreements seek to coordinate the IP regimes of different countries so as to minimize IP conflicts involving both governments and private parties, to promote efficiency in the innovation process, and to facilitate international trade and investment flows based on IP. This entry reviews the conceptual basis for international intellectual property rights and describes the major international IP agreements, organizations, and enforcement mechanisms. The entry also briefly describes several specific issues of current interest related to international IP.