the regulation of intellectual property rights data flows and privacy are likely to be of particular importance as well as the quality of digital infrastructure since reliable and fast network access is becoming a necessity for conducting business however the overall impact on gvc trade is hard to predict in the longer run however d printing may to some extent substitute for traditional manufacturing methods reducing the need for outsourced production and assembly the number of production steps and the need for inventory warehousing distribution retail centres and packaging developing countries are likely to gain an increasing share of global trade but the quantitative effects will depend on their ability to catch up on the adoption of digital technologies