The TRIPS agreement, facilitated from the World Trade Organization (WTO), came into effect in 1995 and is the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property. It covers a range of areas including copyright, trademark and patents. It establishes a minimum set of standards by countries to regulate intellectual property, including monopoly rights, as explained above. The agreement has three main features: minimum standards, enforcement and dispute resolution. Although obligations apply equally across signatory states, some flexibilities were built in to allow low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) additional time to implement the agreement and make changes to national laws and procedures. This transition period ended largely in 2005. However, further extensions were granted to low-income countries (in its latest instance, until mid-2022) and special dispensations (and longer timeframes) were incorporated for pharmaceutical patents. Sessions 4 and 5 in this module cover international rules and institutions, which, alongside TRIPS, influence global health.