Misapplying Globalization: Jordan and the Intellectual Property Policy Challenge

In the space of only a few years, the Jordanian legal system was transformed from an Ottoman-era regime which made few provisions for intellectual property rights to one which incorporated all the provisions of TRIPS. The TRIPS principles, designed to protect the interests of multinational media and technology companies, thereby became grafted onto the legal architecture of a developing country which lacked judicial expertise on intellectual property, and whose population was culturally averse to recognizing such rights.This book provides a detailed study of this transformation, and the ideological and financial pressures which brought it about. The book argues that the standards for IP protection have been elevated beyond the level at which Jordan is able to enforce compliance. This is damaging Jordan’s legal institutions, generating ill-will towards international legal norms, and foreclosing possibilities of innovation via imitation that could bring economic benefits to Jordan, the Middle East, and to the global economy.This is the first detailed study of the impact of TRIPS on a Middle Eastern country, and will be of both academic and practical relevance to all who are interested in intellectual property rights, development, international law, globalization, and the Middle East.