The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was concluded in December 1996 as a part of the declaration issued by the Singapore Ministerial Conference held one year after the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Adopted as a plurilateral agreement between 29 WTO members, it entered into effect in 1997 with the objective of recognizing the “key role of trade in information technology products in the development of information industries and in the dynamic expansion of the world economy” (ITA Declaration 1996).