THE MORAL LEGITIMACY OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CLAIMS - AMERICAN BUSINESS AND DEVELOPING-COUNTRY PERSPECTIVES

Private property forms the bedrock of the business/society relationship in a market economy. In one way or another most societies limit what people can claim as property as well as the extent of claims they can make regarding it. In the international arena today intellectual property rights are a focal point of debate. Many developing countries do not recognize the monopoly claims of patents and copyrights asserted by business as legitimate. This paper reviews contemporary areas of dispute and then presents the tasks facing the construction of a fair intellectual property rights regime.