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For better or worse, by joining the WTO, Barbados has automatically signed on to the TRIPS Agreement. Ultimately this move cannot be without its repercussions, yet the regional academic literature has remained largely mute on the subject. This paper is therefore an attempt to break the silence by determining what role, if any, intellectual property rights can play in helping Barbados achieve our development objectives. The approach used is simple: an assessment is made as to the compliance of BarbadosÂ’ intellectual property regime with TRIPS; the pros and cons of implementation are then reviewed to see where they fit into a macroeconomic framework for economic development. The results of these analyses suggest that, despite severe challenges, there is indeed a role to be played by intellectual property rights in our development, which, though critical, is often overlooked.