GATT, which dealt with trade in goods, but also took on new agreements on services, investment, intellectual property, technical barriers to trade, sanitary measures and plant health.

ECONOMIST: A survey of world trade

Michael Finger of the World Bank and Philip Schuler of the University of Maryland estimate that implementing commitments to improve trade procedures and establish technical and intellectual-property standards can cost more than a year's development budget for the poorest countries.

ECONOMIST: Trade and development

In the past politicians mostly left patent policy to specialists, since it seemed arcane and technical, but as intellectual property has grown in importance the flaws in Europe's patent system have become more glaring.

ECONOMIST: Europe's unwieldy patent regime

Instead, again with data as crystal clear as an azure sky of deepest blue, the report identifies potential root causes in intellectual property, business practice and unforeseen technical challenges as playing a significant role, along with some areas where the FDA could help foster drug development.

FORBES: The Death Of The Blockbuster Drug: A Cheat Sheet

But the company says it has done nothing wrong, arguing that withholding technical data is a legitimate tactic in disputes over intellectual property.

ECONOMIST: Intel: Paranoia time | The

All the technical issues associated with metallocenes are minor compared with the intellectual-property battles that have ravaged the business over the past decade.

ECONOMIST: REPORTS: Designer plastics | The

We commended past and on-going cooperation between ASEAN and the United States in the provision of technical assistance and capacity-building, the commitment by ASEAN to achieve effective intellectual property regimes and enforcement consistent with international standards and international agreements to which ASEAN Member States are parties, and cooperation in the enforcement against global intellectual property crime.

WHITEHOUSE: Joint Statement of the 4th ASEAN-U.S. Leaders' Meeting

It threw out technical arguments by the tobacco companies that the government was trying to "acquire" their intellectual property rights by removing logos.

BBC: Australia smokers given plain packs