Bibek Debroy will argue that it is in the best interests of poor countries to comply with the requirements of TRIPS and to limit the use of compulsory licensing. While the introduction of product patents may adversely affect some powerful vested interests and thereby be costly both economically and politically in the short term, the benefits in the medium to long term – in terms of increased foreign direct investment, technology transfer, and local product development – far outweigh these transitional costs.

Dr. Bibek Debroy is Director of Research at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies in New Delhi and a fellow of the Liberty Institute in New Delhi.

Previously, he worked for the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune; the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; and the Department of Economic Affairs and National Council of Applied Economic Research, Delhi.

He was educated at Presidency College, Calcutta; the Delhi School of Economics and at Trinity College, Cambridge. Dr Debroy is the author and editor of numerous books and papers, including Intellectual Property Rights (Rajiv Gandhi Institute, 1998).