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WTO sows Seeds of Dissent
What does the TRIPS agreement mean to farmers
The WTO is due to meet next month but many are still trying to understand the last round of agreements and in particular, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement covering patents, copyright and trademarks. This affects small farmers and those in the developing world in many ways but most importantly it will determine where they buy their seed and its price. Many countries have responded by legislating to regulate rights over genetic material.