Intellectual Property and International Trade
The paper begins with a brief survey of the relationship of copyright to Canadian cultural policy, and the status of culture in international trade agreements generally. It then focuses on a series of agreements which deal specifically with intellectual property (IP) including the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs) and the two recent agreements spearheaded by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and considers the implications for creators of the new international regime.
These changes are then set in the context of the advent of the internet and electronic commerce, and government policies surrounding their development. Again the implications for creators and individual rights holders is considered along with the cultural issues raised not only by the TRIPs and the WIPO treaties but also the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) which is currently under re-negotiation.
The paper concludes by identifying a non-exclusive list of issues which warrant sustained informed debate in the cultural community.