The Conference on How Intellectual Property Rights Could Work Better for Developing Countries and Poor People took place from 21- 22 February 2002, at the Royal Society in London, UK. The conference, organized by the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), was attended by approximately 220 participants from governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and representatives of the scientific, academic and private sectors. The conference addressed seven major themes, including: agriculture and genetic resources; traditional knowledge and folklore; copyright in developing countries; technology, development and intellectual property rights (IPRs); medicines and vaccines; research tools, gene patenting and public-private partnerships; and international institutions, rules and practices, and capacity building. This is a summary report covering the main themes of the discussion . A full transcript of the Conference will be available shortly on the CIPR website http://www.iprcommission.org.