Conclusion

This chapter has sought to highlight some of the key issues with respect to IP and ICT that policymakers in Asia Pacific should bear in mind. The primary policy consideration should emanate from a public interest approach to IP. Treating IP merely as a matter of private property or private interest rights can be seriously detrimental to access to knowledge, culture and technology.

Moreover, policymakers in Asia Pacific must take a close and hard look at moves in their direction that seek to bait them into taking on TRIPS-plus commitments under any guise, whether via a bilateral agreement or a regional multilateral agreement. The overall interests of their public and national social, economic and developmental goals must be carefully guarded and decisions made only after detailed reviews and analytical studies that would enable a reasonable assessment of the necessity and scope of any potential commitment in the fields of IP and ICT.