Intellectual property rights which envelope Copyrights, Trade Marks, Patents, Semi-Conductor Integrated Circuits Layout Designs, Industrial Designs, Geographical Indications and Undisclosed Information, provide legal recognition and protection to the same. The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement was the first international attempt to address these intellectual property rights simultaneously and comprehensively, to ascribe minimum standards for their protection and in instances elevate the level of protection from that provided under the earlier conventions (the Paris Convention, the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms, and Broadcasting Organizations (Rome Convention) (1961), the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1971) and the Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Integrated Circuits (1989). The scope of protection, the terms of protection, rights granted, exception’s provided to counter-balance the interests of right holders with the users and the remedies and penalties provided vary with the underlying purpose for the protection of each intellectual property. The incorporation of these intellectual property rights within the folds of the World Trade Organizations recognizes and entrenches them in the realm of international economic relations.
