IP Protection and International Trade

The article explores how intellectual property IP manifests in international trade. The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property TRIPS Agreement was adopted and signed by the WTO member states in need to avoid that intellectual property would become a barrier in international trade. But nowadays we can see IP battles that may affect the way international trade is developed. Such is the case of Samsung vs. Apple which is sprinkled with patents, trademarks or industrial designs case files and also with banning products on one or more markets. The paper studies the way this national litigations interfere with international trade, analyzing some of court decisions and their impact in a product presence on a certain market.