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Definitions
List of terms for Intellectual property
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Trade-related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
The Agreement on Trade-related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS, one of the main results of the Uruguay Rounds of the General Agreement on Tariffs of Trade, concluded in 1994, is now the key international agreement promoting the harmonisation of national intellectual property rights systems. TRIPS is intended to introduce new rules and disciplines for global trade concerning (1) the provision of adequate standards and principles concerning the availability, scope and use of trade-related intellectual property rights, (2) effective and appropriate means for the enforcement of trade-related intellectual property rights, and (3) effective and expeditious procedures for the multilateral prevention and settlement of disputes between governments.
Trademarks
A marketing tool used to support a company's claim that its products or services are authentic or distinctive compared with similar products or services from competitors. Usually consists of a distinctive design, word, or series of words placed on the product label. A trademark owner has the exclusive right to prevent third parties from using identical or similar marks in the sale of identical or similar goods or services where doing so is likely to cause confusion.
Traditional knowledge
Refers to the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles. It represents part of the (unregistered and often unappreciated) intellectual property of such communities and includes agricultural biodiversity, sustainable land-use and natural resource management practices. Traditional knowledge of medicinal and crop plants continues to be a valuable source of information for modern pharmacology and biotechnology. Industrial patents that exploit this knowledge are seen by some as effectively theft and referred to as biopiracy.
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