Description

Asia’s growing influence in international law is increasingly evident in the field of intellectual property (IP), where the region, particularly East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, has emerged as a prominent actor in global IP governance. Asian engagement with the international IP regime has evolved through three key phases: the initial transplantation of legal norms in response to obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS); subsequent processes of adaptation and localisation within domestic legal systems; and, more recently, active participation in shaping international legal norms through bilateral and regional trade agreements. This trajectory highlights the region’s shift from passive recipient to active norm-shaper in the global IP landscape.

Yet, while scholarly focus has largely centered on Southeast Asia, South and Central Asia have been underexplored. Central Asia is only beginning to align its IP laws with international standards, while South Asia—despite India’s relatively well-known IP regime—reflects a deeper and more complex engagement with IP across the region that remains overlooked. Therefore, the book Intellectual Property Debates in South Asia: Law, Development and Practice (Hart Publishing, 2025) addresses that gap by examining developments in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. It explores how historical legacies, socio-economic contexts, and legal traditions shape national IP systems and how these countries navigate the tension between international obligations and domestic priorities. In doing so, the volume offers a more inclusive, comparative, and regionally grounded perspective on international IP law.