Export.gov, a U.S. government website designed to help U.S. businesses

Export.gov, a U.S. government website designed to help U.S. businesses succeed in the global marketplace, offers, among other services, a list of global market opportunities as well as a list of potential barriers to successful exporting. At the top of its list of common unfair practices that create barriers to successful international trade is copyright infringement. The site attributes this problem to both the intangible nature of intellectual property and the lack of agreed upon, standardized practices around the world for protecting copyright, intellectual property branding, and intellectual property trademarks.

The site advises that while no single international copyright can protect intellectual property everywhere in the world and copyright ultimately depends on the laws of the nations in which individuals and corporations do business, international copy- right treaties and conventions, such as the Berne Convention and the WTO TRIPS Agreement, have greatly simplified the protection of rights through wide application to the majority of nations. While this is accurate as far as it goes, Export.gov stops short of saying that no matter how “simplified” by treaties, the situation actually remains highly complex, with six major international agreements now in force to govern intellectual property rights among different nations and with varying and ever-evolving sets of criteria and clauses.

Furthermore, despite numerous treaties, as Export.gov itself admits, there are some countries that offer no protection, or very little protection, for the works of foreign nationals. In a few cases, this lack of protection is condoned by the WTO, such as in the matter of pharmaceutical patents in less developed countries. Exceptions are granted, in part, because less developed countries argue that incentives and protections for the holders of copyright need to be measured against the need to create economic growth and promote education, knowledge, health, and welfare in countries where the cost of copyright protections often serve as impediments.

1. The author implies that the Export.gov website

(A) presents and explains the various clauses of the Berne Convention and the WTO TRIPS Agreement.
(B) is generally more useful for identifying opportunities than for obtaining other information related to international trade.
(C) provides an accurate though slightly rosier picture of the ease of obtaining copyright protection than actually exists.
(D) fails to warn users that there are countries in which foreign nationals will not find protections for their intellectual property.
(E) details the exceptions to the six major international treaties that may affect U.S. entrepreneurs.


2. The fact in the passage that provides the best summary of the copyright situation for the general user is that

(A) infringement is the most common problem of international trade.
(B) security extends more generally in less developed nations.
(C) protection depends on the laws of the nations where business is transacted.
(D) exceptions are often made in the case of pharmaceuticals.
(E) agreements have grown increasingly complex over time.


3. The author’s attitude toward obtaining copyright protection can best be described as

(A) thoroughly objective.
(B) somewhat cautionary.
(C) slightly amused.
(D) sadly realistic.
(E) harshly critical.


4. The passage mentions all of the following as barriers to obtaining copyright protection for intellectual property EXCEPT:

(A) the existence of multiple treaties that govern trade in intellectual property.
(B) the fact that intellectual property is not as concrete or definable as other trade items.
(C) exceptions to intellectual property rights in some cases in some countries.
(D) a quagmire of application forms and procedures requiring special legal expertise.
(E) the lack of standard approaches to the issue of intellectual property.