Case 219 - Drugs, Books, and Videos: U.S.-Korea Dispute over Intellectual Property Rights

Ryan, Michael P. and Justine N. Bednarik

This simulation allows participants to role-play negotiations between the United States and Korea regarding Seoul’s protection of intellectual property rights, assuming the roles of government officials and representatives of the pharmaceutical, publishing, and entertainment industries in both countries. The case study elucidates the reality that international negotiations not only involve bargaining between two countries, but within each country, as well. Students will learn about IPR protection as a matter of corporate technology strategy; differing policy preferences regarding intellectual property according to levels of national development; the sources of state power in international economic negotiations; and the influence of legal norms in international diplomacy.