This chapter traces the chain of events and political debate surrounding the evolution of the international intellectual property (IP) architecture from the establishment of the Paris Convention in the 19th century, to reform efforts by developing countries in the 1970s, and the recent initiative in WIPO on a Development Agenda. It illustrates that tensions around striking an appropriate balance between public interests and private rights have persisted since the inception of the IP system. Furthermore, it shows that the establishment of the Paris Convention was the result of a strategic compromise between those who wanted to promote the recognition of patents beyond national boundaries, and those who feared that outright protection of foreign inventions might hamper local industrialization. Countries have continued to grapple with IP and development through the five revision conferences of the Paris Convention, waves of national reforms and attempts to rebalance the international IP system, the advent of the TRIPS Agreement, and finally the adoption of the WIPO Development Agenda.
Keywords: intellectual property, Paris Convention, history, reform, TRIPS Agreement, compulsory licensing, working requirement, Roffe, Vea