Free Trade and Culture : A Study of Relevant WTO Rules and Constraints on National Cultural Policy Measures

In recent years, economic globalisation has had a profound impact on national cultures. Trade liberalisation and technological innovations, the driving forces behind the process of economic globalisation, have brought down many barriers that in the past obstructed the free cross-border circulation of cultural goods and services. People worldwide increasingly listen to the same music, watch the same movies and read the same books. Many artists, cultural policy makers and other stakeholders are concerned about the loss of global cultural diversity and the threat to the cultural identity of their countries. In response to these concerns, the governments of many countries have sought to maintain or introduce measures that discriminate against foreign cultural goods and services or otherwise obstruct the trade in these goods and services. This monograph on Free Trade and Culture explores to what extent the law of the World Trade Organization allows countries to take unilateral measures for the protection or promotion of their national culture