Intellectual Property Rights and the Political Economy in China and India

Intellectual property rights have received sparse attention within the paradigm of Dependency Theory. This paper seeks to rectify this situation by analyzing the role intellectual property rights play in the economic and political relationship between the United States, China, and India. Economic data will be utilized to test whether there are statistically significant financial incentives that encourage a state adopt or resist stricter intellectual property regulations. The Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) established under the Uruguay Round will be used as a benchmark in order to gain a more complete understanding of the Asian international intellectual property environment. It is hypothesized that as a country experiences sustained economic growth, it will have an incentive to adopt stronger intellectual property laws to foster the manufacture of intangible assets domestically.