in Views on the Future of the Intellectual Property System, ICTSD Selected Issue Briefs No. 1 (J. Barton et al), June 2007

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From a negotiating standpoint, the proposals for an ambitious WIPO Development Agenda (WDA) put forward by the Group of Friends of Development may be linked to potential forward movement on the draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT). That is, there is a group of developed countries that may be unwilling to permit forward movement on the WDA as a stand-alone matter. Without prejudice to the answer, it may be useful to explore two fundamental questions: (1) what are the potential costs and benefits of moving forward with the draft SPLT and under what conditions, and (2) what could reasonably be demanded from the WDA?