Trips and Trade Liberalization : The Pursuit of Universal Development

The United States of America and the People's Republic of China are engaged in a dispute about intellectual property protection and theft. Both states have imposed retaliatory tariffs on one another's exports. This paper considers how members of the World Trade Organization might collectively pursue trade liberalization and support innovation, in a global trading environment characterized by tariffs and uneven intellectual property protection. It suggests that the trade regime could be reformed to deliver the benefits of trade to more people, be used to synchronize and further development in all member states, and help to support civil society