RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/37
8October 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4083)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OFLEGISLATION ONTRADEMARKS, GEOGRAPHICAL
INDICATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS
Questions posed bytheEuropean Communities andtheirMember States
BymeansofcommunicationsfromthePermanentDelegationoftheCommissionoftheEuropean
Communities, dated 30September 1996, theSecretariat hasreceived questions thattheEuropean
Communities andtheirMember States hadcommunicated tothefollowing WTO Members concerning
thereview ofnational implementing legislation intheareas oftrademarks, geographical indications
andindustrial designs:
Page
Australia 2
Canada 3
Czech Republic 4
Japan 5
Liechtenstein 6
NewZealand 7
Norway 8
Poland 9
Slovak Republic 9
Slovenia 10
South Africa 11
Switzerland 12
United States 12IP/C/W/37
Page2
AUSTRALIA
Trademarks
1. Does Australian lawimplement Article 4C(3) oftheParis Convention inconjunction with
Article 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement which saysthatifthelastdayoftheperiod (ofpriority) isan
official holiday, oradaywhen theoffice isnotopenforthefiling ofapplications inthecountry where
protection isclaimed, theperiod shallbeextended untilthefirstfollowing working day? Ifyes,please
explain how.
2. Does Australian lawprovide fortheprohibition tousetrademarks (service marks) which
constitute areproduction, animitation oratranslation ofawell-known trademark inaccordance with
Article 6bisoftheParis Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement,
Article 16.2andArticle 16.3oftheTRIPS Agreement and,ifso,onwhatbasis?
3. Does Australian legislation provide temporary protection, and,ifso,onwhat basis, for
trademarks inrespect ofgoods exhibited atofficial orofficially recognized international exhibitions
inaccordance withArticle 11oftheParis Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS
Agreement?
4. Could theAustralian Government explain whether itslegislation isinaccordance with
Article 15.3oftheTRIPS Agreement totheextent thattrademark applications arenotsolely rejected
ontheground thatintended usehasnottaken place before theexpiry ofaperiod ofthree years from
thedateofapplication?
Geographical indications
5. Does Australian lawgrant protection against unfair competition inrelation togeographical
indications, asprovided forinArticle 10bisoftheParis Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1
oftheTRIPS Agreement, overandabove whatisprovided forunder theTrade Practices Act1974
andthefairtrading legislation intheStates andTerritories ofAustralia?
6. DoesAustralian lawprovide protection forgeographical indications forallgoods (andnotonly
forwineandgrape products) inaccordance withtheprovisions ofArticle 22oftheTRIPS Agreement
and,ifso,onwhatbasis?
7. Does Australian lawprovide thelegalmeans forinterested parties toprevent theuseofany
means inthedesignation orpresentation ofagood, thatindicates orsuggests thatthegoodinquestion
originates inageographical areaother thanthetrueplace oforigin inamanner which misleads the
publicastothegeographicaloriginofthegoodinaccordancewithArticle22.2oftheTRIPSAgreement?
8. Does Australian lawprovide fortheprotection granted under Articles 22.2and22.3ofthe
TRIPS Agreement toageographical indication which, although literally trueastotheterritory, region
orlocality inwhich thegoods originate, falsely represents tothepublic thatthegoods originate in
another territory inaccordance withArticle 22.4oftheTRIPS Agreement and,ifso,onwhatbasis?
9. DoesAustralian lawprovide fortheprotection ofspirits notobtained fromgrapes, intheterms
ofArticle 23oftheTRIPS Agreement?IP/C/W/37
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10. Does Australian legislation provide that,inorder tobeentitled toobtain theregistration of
atrademark containing orconsisting ofasignthatisageographical indication forgoods notoriginating
inthesame territory asthegoods identified bythegeographical indication, itisnecessary tohave
acquired, through useingoodfaith, therighttousesuchatrademark, inaccordance withArticle 24.5
oftheTRIPS Agreement?
Industrial designs
11. Does Australian lawprovide foragrace period ofatleastsixmonths forthepayment offees
prescribed forthemaintenance ofindustrial property rights inaccordance withArticle 5bis(1)ofthe
Paris Convention (1967) inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
12. Aretextile designs, including fashion, protected under Australian law(Article 25.2oftheTRIPS
Agreement)? Ifyes,onwhich legalbasis andunder which conditions?
CANADA
Geographical indications
1. Could Canada explain indetail howtheCanadian lawprotects geographical indications for
products other thanwines andspirits? Isthislegislation incompliance withArticle 22oftheTRIPS
Agreement? Please explain.
2. Following TRIPS Article 23.1, whatarethelegalmeans available inCanadian legislation to
prevent themisuse ofageographical indication identifying awineoraspirit, where:
(a) thetrueorigin ofthegoods isindicated?
(b) thegeographical indication isaccompanied byexpressions suchas"kind", "type",
"style", "imitation", orthelike?
3. UnderCanadianlaw,wherearightholderofageographicalindicationforwinesorspiritsdisputes
therights ofatrademark owner, userorapplicant whoclaims hisgood faithunder thissubsection,
willtheburden ofproof beonthelatter (TRIPS Article 24.5)?
4. CanCanada explain whether theadoption, utilization orregistration asterms customary in
common language ofprotected geographical indications, under subsection 11.18(2) oftheCanadian
Trade-marks Act,isinlinewiththestandstill obligation ofTRIPS Article 24.3?
5. Section 11.18(3) oftheCanadian Trade-marks Act,adopted intheframework oftheWTO
implementing legislation, provides foralistofindications inrespect ofwines whose registration as
geographical indications doesnotprevent theiradoption, useorregistration astrademarks orotherwise.
CanCanada substantiate itsclaim thatthenames included intheabove-mentioned listshavebecome
terms customary inthecommon language (TRIPS Article 24.6)?
6. Could Canada explain, inparticular, howithasdetermined thatnames, likeChampagne,
Madeira, PortandSherry, which werepreviously protected inCanada asgeographical indications for
wines fromFrance, Portugal orSpain through bilateral agreements withthose countries, canbenow
definedascustomaryinthecommonlanguageinCanadianlaw(TRIPSArticle24.3standstillobligation)?IP/C/W/37
Page4
7. Could Canada explain how theamendments totheTrade-marks Actconcerning the
implementation ofanewsystem toregister andprotect geographical indications forwines andspirits,
which hasbeenpublished asanIndustry NotebytheAgriculture andAgri-food Canada (AAFC) on
31July1996, operates? Could Canada elaborate onitscompliance withTRIPS Articles 22to24?
Trademarks
8. Given therestrictions setoutinSection 34oftheCanadian Trade-marks Actconcerning the
applications upon which aclaim ofpriority maybebased, itappears thatCanada isnotentirely in
compliance withArticle 4A(1) oftheParisConvention (1967) asisrequired byArticle 2,paragraph 2.1
oftheTRIPS Agreement, sincepriority mayonlybebased onanapplication filedinacountry ofwhich
theapplicant wasacitizen orinwhich theapplicant hadarealandeffective industrial orcommercial
establishment. Please clarify thisissue.
9. There isnomention ofcollective marks intheCanadian Trade-marks Act. Inlightofthis,
please confirm thatCanada isincompliance withArticle 7bisoftheParis Convention (1967) in
conjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement.
Industrial designs
10. DoesCanadian legislation provide fortemporary protection ofindustrial designs andtrademarks
thatareexhibited"atofficialorofficiallyrecognizedinternationalexhibitions"heldinCanada(Article11
oftheParis Convention (1967) inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement), andifyes,
onwhatbasis andunder whatconditions?
CZECH REPUBLIC
Geographical indications
1. Could theCzech Republic explain howthedefinition ofappellation ororigin included inits
legislation fulfils thecriteria setoutinArticle 22.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
2. Could theGovernment oftheCzech Republic clarify whether itslegislation foresees additional
protection forgeographical indications forwines andspirits (Article 23oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
Ifyes,please explain.
Industrial designs
3. Does thelawoftheCzech Republic provide fortheprotection oftextile designs, including
fashion? Ifyes,onwhatlegalbasis andunder which conditions?IP/C/W/37
Page5
4. Theduration ofprotection under theCzech lawamounts tofiveyears (paragraph 54ofAct
No.527/1990 Coll. onInventions). Thisperiod maybeextended bytheIntellectual Property Office,
based ontherequest oftheowner ofanindustrial design, foramaximum oftwofive-year periods.
- AretheCzech authorities aware thatthefive-year extension provision would appear
tobeconsistent withArticle 26.3oftheTRIPS Agreement onlyiftheextension is
automatically granted upon application oftherightholder?
- What istheexact meaning of"may be"?
- Arethere anyreasons forrejection ofsuchanextension?
JAPAN
Trademarks
1. Onwhatbasis doesJapanese lawallow foraperiod ofgrace ofnotlessthansixmonths for
thepayment offeesprescribed forthemaintenance oftrademark rights inaccordance withArticle 5bis
oftheParis Convention (1967) inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
2. Does Japan accept forfiling andprotection collective trademarks belonging toassociations
inother WTO Members incircumstances where theseassociations are"notcontrary tothelawoftheir
countryoforigin"butare"notestablished"or"notconstitutedaccording"toJapaneselaw(Article7bis(3)
Paris Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
3. Does Japanese lawprovide protection, and,ifso,onwhatbasis, against afalseindication on
goods oftheidentity oftheproducer, manufacturer, ormerchant (Article 10(1) oftheParisConvention
inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
4. Arecombinations ofcolours, other thanincombination withcharacters, figures orother signs,
eligible forregistration astrademarks under Japanese lawand,ifso,onwhatbasis (Article 15.1of
theTRIPS Agreement)?
5. Does thefiveyeartime-limit inArticle 47oftheJapanese lawalsoapply totherequest for
cancellation oftheregistration ofawell-known trademark registered inbadfaith? Ifyes,howdoyou
explain thisinrelation toArticle 6bis(3)oftheParis Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1of
theTRIPS Agreement andArticle 16.3oftheTRIPS Agreement?
Geographical indications
6. Howistheterm"geographical indication" defined inJapanese lawinrespect ofgoods other
thanwines andspirits andwhat isthelegal basis forsuchadefinition (Article 22.1oftheTRIPS
Agreement)?
7. Does Japanese lawprovide thelegal means forinterested parties toprevent, inrespect of
geographical indications, anyusewhich constitutes afalseallegation ofsuchanature astodiscredit
thegoods concerned, evenintheabsence ofanyinjury being caused tothebusiness reputation ofsuch
parties (Article 22.2(b) oftheTRIPS Agreement)?IP/C/W/37
Page6
8. Does Japanese trademark legislation provide fortherefusal orinvalidation oftheregistration
ofatrademark which contains orconsists ofageographical indication inaccordance withArticle 22.3
oftheTRIPS Agreement?
9. Does Japanese trademark legislation provide fortherefusal orinvalidation oftheregistration
ofatrademark which contains orconsists ofageographical indication inaccordance withArticle 22.4
oftheTRIPS Agreement?
10. PursuanttoArticle23.1oftheTRIPSAgreement,whicharethelegalmeansavailableinJapanese
legislation toprevent themisuse ofageographical indication identifying awineoraspirit, where:
(a) thetrueorigin ofthewineorthespirit isindicated?
(b) thegeographical indication isusedintranslation oraccompanied byexpressions such
as"kind", "type", "style", "imitation" orthelike?
11. Article 23.2oftheTRIPS Agreement provides thattheregistration ofatrademark forwines
orspirits containing orconsisting ofageographical indication shallberefused orinvalidated withrespect
towines andspirits nothaving suchorigin. Article 4(1)xvii oftheTrademark LawofJapan implements
thisprovision asregards geographical indications from WTO Members. ThePatent Office ofJapan
hasadopted alistofthose geographical indications registered withtheInternational Bureau ofWIPO
which cannot beregistered astrademarks inJapan. What provisions hasJapan taken toupdate this
list?
12. Does Japanese trademark legislation allow fortheright tocontinue theuseofatrademark
acquired through useingoodfaithwhere suchatrademark isidentical with, orsimilar to,ageographical
indication and,ifso,what, ifany,aretherelevant dates inaccordance withArticle 24.5oftheTRIPS
Agreement? Please explain.
Industrial designs
13. Does Japanese lawprovide fortheprotection oftextile designs, including fashion? Ifyes,
onwhatlegalbasis andunder which conditions (Article 25.2oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
LIECHTENSTEIN
Trademarks andgeographical indications
1. Within which termdoesLiechtenstein intend toputinforce therevised LawonTrademarks
andGeographical Indications?
2. What adjustments were/are going tobemade during thedebates inParliament withrespect
tothedraftsubmitted? Towhatextent dothese adjustments comply withtheTRIPS Agreement?
Industrial designs
3. What isthetimeschedule within which thetotalrevision oftheLiechtenstein LawonIndustrial
Designs andModels isintended tobestarted andtobeconcluded?IP/C/W/37
Page7
4. What willbethemain features oftherespective revision? What innovations areintended to
beestablished inthelineoftheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement?
NEW ZEALAND
Trademarks
1. Does New Zealand lawprovide fortheregistration andprotection ofcollective marks in
accordance withArticle 7bisoftheParis Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS
Agreement? Please explain.
2. Does NewZealand trademark lawprovide fortemporary protection oftrademarks inrespect
ofgoods exhibited atofficial orofficially recognized international exhibitions heldintheterritory of
anyMember oftheUnion oftheParisConvention, inaccordance withArticle 11oftheParisConvention
inconjunction withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
3. IsNewZealand lawtobeinterpreted asgranting trademark owners thepossibility tooppose
thecancellation ofatrademark forreasons ofnon-use onthebasis thatusewasprevented dueto
government requirements other thanimport restrictions (Article 19.1oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
Geographical indications
4. Weunderstand thattheGeographical Indications Act1994 including aminor amendment is
notinforce yet.Furthermore, itisourunderstanding thattheNewZealand Ministry ofCommerce
hasprepared draftRegulations setting outdetailed rules fortheimplementation oftheAct. What is
theexpected timeframe fortheLawandtheimplementing Regulations tobeinforce?
5. Istheperiod ofgrace forpayment offeesformaintenance ofgeographical indication rights
shorter thansixmonths under NewZealand law(Article 5bisoftheParis Convention inconjunction
withArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
6. Whoistobedeemed aninterested party inrelation totheuseoffalsegeographical indications
under NewZealand law(Article 10(2) oftheParis Convention inconjunction withArticle 2.1ofthe
TRIPS Agreement)?
7. Isthedefinition ofgeographical indication under NewZealand lawtobeinterpreted asreferring
toagiven quality, reputation orother characteristic ofthegood which isessentially attributable to
itsgeographical origin inaccordance withArticle 22.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
8. Does New Zealand lawintend toprovide forthelegal means oradministrative action for
interested parties toprevent useofgeographical indications identifying wines orspirits forwines or
spirits notoriginating intheplace indicated inthegeographical indication inquestion, evenwhere
thetrueorigin ofthegoods isindicated orthegeographical indication isused intranslation or
accompanied byexpressions suchas"kind", "type", "style", "imitation" orthelike,and,ifso,when
andonwhatterms (Article 23.1oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
9. Does NewZealand intend toprovide thattheregistration ofatrademark forwines orspirits
containing orconsisting ofageographical indication shallberefused orinvalidated withrespect to
wines orspirits nothaving thisorigin inaccordance withArticle 23.2oftheTRIPS Agreement and,
ifso,when andonwhatterms?IP/C/W/37
Page8
10. Section5(3)oftheNewZealandGeographicalIndicationLawstatesthattheuseofageographical
indication inrelation togoods "ifthegoods wereproduced before thegoods weredeclared tobespecified
goods" doesnotinfringe therightofageographical indication. Could theGovernment ofNewZealand
explain howthiscomplies withSection 3ofPartIIoftheTRIPS Agreement?
11. Does NewZealand 'sgeographical indications lawprovide foranexemption forgeographical
indication protection where atrademark hasbeenapplied fororregistered ingoodfaith, orwhere rights
toatrademark havebeenacquired through useingood faithbefore theentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement inrelation toNewZealand, asprovided forinArticle 24.5oftheTRIPS Agreement?
NORWAY
Trademarks
1. Forthepurpose ofclarification: According toArticle 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement, Members
shallcomply withArticles 1through 12,andArticle 19,oftheParisConvention (1967). TheNorwegian
Trademarks Act,Section 29(supplemented bytheTrademarks Regulations, Section 11)states that
"telle quelle" registration according toArticle 6quinquies oftheParis Convention shallbe"subject
toreciprocity". Inlightofthefactthatthecondition ofreciprocity wasdeleted fromtheTrademarks
Act,Sections 18and30regarding priority inorder tocomply withtheTRIPS Agreement, the
Government should explain whyacondition forreciprocity isupheld inSection 29.
Geographical indications
2. IntheGovernment 'sproposal totheNorwegian Parliament (Stortinget) toratify theTRIPS
Agreement, theGovernment stated thatitisnecessary toamend Norwegian lawinorder toimplement
theprotectionforgeographicalindicationsforwinesandspiritsunderArticle23oftheTRIPSAgreement
(St.prp.nr. 65-1993-94, p.169). TheNorwegian Government should inform about thestatus ofthe
proposed amendments toNorwegian legislation andatwhattimethese amendments areexpected to
enter intoforce.
Industrial designs
3. Under Article 25.2oftheTRIPS Agreement, eachMember shallensure thatrequirements for
securing protection fortextile designs, inparticular inregard toanycost,examination orpublication,
donotunreasonably impair theopportunity toseekandobtain suchprotection. IntheGovernment 's
proposal totheNorwegian Parliament (Stortinget) toratify theTRIPS Agreement (St.prp.nr. 65-1993-
94,p.169), theGovernment heldthatitisunclear whether Article 25.2requires specific provisions
inNorwegian legislation fortheprotection oftextile designs. According totheMinistry ofJustice 's
green paper of21December 1995, theMinistry isoftheopinion thattheassessment ofwhether it
isnecessary togivespecific provisions inNorwegian law,should bepostponed untiltheinternational
development, especially intheEuropean Union, isfurther clarified. AstheNorwegian Government
isobligedtoimplementtheprovisionsoftheTRIPSAgreementwithinthetimelimitsgiveninArticle65,
theNorwegian Government should clarify whether Norwegian lawprotects textile designs, including
fashion (Article 25.2oftheTRIPS Agreement). Ifyes,which aretheconditions andwhatisthelegal
basis?IP/C/W/37
Page9
POLAND
Trademarks
1. Could thePolish Government confirm whether actual useofatrademark isacondition for
filing anapplication forregistration (Article 15.3oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
2. How doesthePolish Trademark Lawincorporate thefollowing wording ofArticle 16.1,
sentence 2oftheTRIPS Agreement: "Incaseofuseofanidentical signforidentical goods orservices,
likelihood ofconfusion shallbepresumed"?
3. Does thePolish Government intend toresolve theproblem ofmarks inusebyathirdparty
prior toapplication (Article 16.1oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
4. HasthePolish Government incorporated Article 16.3oftheTRIPS Agreement intothePolish
Law? And, ifyes,how?
5. Could theGovernment ofPoland clarify which circumstances would berecognized asvalid
reasons forthenon-use ofaregistered trademark (Article 19.1oftheTRIPS Agreement) andwhether
theusebyanother person would fulfiltherequirement ofuse(Article 19.2oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
Geographical indications
6. Inthefuture Polish Industrial Property Code, theregistration ofatrademark which consists
oforcontains ageographical indication withrespect togoods notoriginating intheterritory indicated,
willbeprohibited onlyifthesaidgeographical indication isregistered inPoland. Could thePolish
Government confirm thisunderstanding andexplain itsconsistency withArticle 22.3oftheTRIPS
Agreement?
7. How doesPolish lawincorporate Article 23.1oftheTRIPS Agreement where additional
protection isgranted togeographical indications forwines andspirits "even where thetrueorigin of
thegoods isindicated orthegeographical indication isusedintranslation oraccompanied byexpressions
suchas"kind", "type", "style", "imitation" orthelike"?
8. HowdoesthePolish legislation implement Article 23.2oftheTRIPS Agreement withrespect
togeographical indications forwines andspirits? Please explain.
Industrial designs
9. Does Polish lawprovide fortheprotection oftextile designs, including fashion? Ifyes,on
whatlegalbasis andunder which conditions?
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Trademarks
1. Could theSlovak Republic explain howtherights ofthirdparties (e.g.theowner ofatrademark
withthepriority ofaprevious filing) aretaken intoaccount during theprocess oftheregistration of
atrademark (Article 15.5oftheTRIPS Agreement)?IP/C/W/37
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2. Article 16oftheTRIPS Agreement determines awell-known trademark, withnoadditional
conditions based onadecision ofthestateauthority. Isitanintention oftheSlovak Republic toamend
thetrademark lawandadjust respective provisions fullyinconformity withthisArticle? Ifyes,what
willbethemain elements? Ifno,which arethereasons?
3. Againstthebackgroundoftheaforesaid(withrespecttoArticle16.2),howistheSlovakRepublic
going toembody theprovisions ofArticle 16.3intoitsdomestic legislation (lawontrademarks)?
Geographical indications
4. Could theSlovak Republic explain howthedefinition ofappellation ororigin included inits
legislation fulfils thecriteria setoutinArticle 22.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
5. Could theGovernment oftheSlovak Republic statewhether itslegislation foresees additional
protection forgeographical indications forwines andspirits (Article 23oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
Ifyes,please explain.
Industrial designs
6. Does thelawoftheSlovak Republic provide fortheprotection oftextile designs, including
fashion (Article 25.2oftheTRIPS Agreement)? Ifyes,onwhatlegalbasisandunder which conditions?
7. Theduration ofprotection under theSlovak lawamounts tofiveyears (paragraph 54ofAct
No.527/1990 Coll. onInventions). Thisperiod maybeextended bytheIntellectual Property Office,
based ontherequest oftheowner ofanindustrial design, foramaximum oftwofive-year periods.
- AretheSlovak authorities aware thatthefive-year extension provision would appear
tobeconsistent withArticle 26.3oftheTRIPS Agreement onlyiftheextension is
automatically granted upon application oftherightholder?
- What istheexact meaning of"may be"?
- Arethere anyreasons forrejection ofsuchanextension?
SLOVENIA
Geographical indications
1. Could theGovernment ofSlovenia clarify howtheprotection granted to"appellations oforigin"
under theSlovenian lawcomplies withArticle 22oftheTRIPS Agreement, inparticular where only
agiven reputation ofthegood isessentially attributable toitsgeographical origin?
2. Could theGovernment ofSlovenia clarify whether itslegislation foresees additional protection
forgeographical indications forwines andspirits (Article 23oftheTRIPS Agreement)? Ifyes,please
explain.IP/C/W/37
Page11
SOUTH AFRICA
Trademarks
1. Withreference toArticle 16.1oftheTRIPS Agreement, could theSouth African Government
confirm whether under itstrademark lawsthelikelihood ofconfusion ispresumed inthecaseofuse
ofanidentical signforidentical goods orservices?
2. Indetermining whether atrademark iswell-known, doesSouth Africa takeaccount ofthe
knowledge ofthetrademark intherelevant sector ofthepublic (Article 16.2oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
Geographical indications
3. Until now, South Africa hasnottaken anysteptoimplement initslegislation theprovisions
ofSection 3ofPartII("Geographical Indications") oftheTRIPS Agreement. How andwhen does
South Africa intend toafford thisprotection?
4. Isthere anyprovision intheSouth African legislation which provides foradefinition of
geographical indications inlinewiththedefinition inArticle 22.1oftheTRIPS Agreement?
5. Canageographicalindicationbereliedupontoopposeanapplicationforregistrationorinvalidate
aregistered trademark which contains orconsists ofageographical indication (Article 22.3oftheTRIPS
Agreement)?
6. Does South Africa afford protection ofageographical indication where there isareputation
inSouth Africa butintheabsence ofanygoodwill inSouth Africa (Article 22oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
7. Withreference toArticle 23.1oftheTRIPS Agreement, doesSouth Africa afford protection
toamisused geographical indication identifying awineorspirit fromanyother WTO Member, where:
- thetrueorigin ofthegoods isindicated;
- thegeographical indication isusedintranslation;
- thegeographical indication isusedaccompanied byexpressions suchas"kind", "type",
"style", "imitation" orthelike?
8. Does theSouth African legislation provide fortherefusal orthecancellation ofatrademark
forawineoraspirit which contains orconsists ofageographical indication identifying, respectively,
wines orspirits (Article 23.2oftheTRIPS Agreement)?
Industrial designs
9. Does theSouth African Design Act195of1993givetheowner ofaprotected industrial design
therighttopreventthirdpartiesnothavinghisconsentfrommaking,sellingorimportingarticlesbearing
orembodying adesign which isacopy, orsubstantially acopy, oftheprotected design, when such
actsareundertaken forcommercial purposes, interms ofArticle 26.1oftheTRIPS Agreement,
irrespective ofthenature ofthearticles which bearorembody thedesign?IP/C/W/37
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SWITZERLAND
Geographical indications
1. Within which period oftimedoesSwitzerland intend toestablish newlegalregulations onthe
protection ofgeographical indications foragricultural products?
2. What willbetheinnovations oftherespective provisions relating tothelawpresently inforce?
3. Isitintended toestablish aregistration system forgeographical indications withrespect towines
andspirits onfederal level? What shape would arespective system have?
UNITED STATES
Trademarks
1. Article 15.5oftheTRIPS Agreement provides that"Members shallpublish eachtrademark
either before itisregistered orpromptly afteritisregistered andshallafford areasonable opportunity
forpetitions tocancel theregistration. Inaddition, Members mayafford anopportunity forthe
registration ofatrademark tobeopposed." Currently, USopposition andcancellation proceedings
often takemany years tobring todecision, andthere arenumerous ways inwhich aparty effectively
canstalltheproceedings.Pleaseexplain,howcurrentlyUSoppositionandcancellationpracticecomplies
withArticle 15.5oftheTRIPS Agreement.
2. Article 16.1oftheTRIPS Agreement provides:
"Theowner ofaregistered trademark shallhavetheexclusive righttoprevent allthirdparties
nothaving theowner 'sconsent fromusing inthecourse oftrade identical orsimilar signs for
goods orservices which areidentical orsimilar tothose inrespect ofwhich thetrademark
isregistered where suchusewould result inalikelihood ofconfusion. Inthecaseoftheuse
ofanidentical signforidentical goods orservices, alikelihood ofconfusion shallbepresumed.
Therights described above shallnotprejudice anyexisting prior rights, norshalltheyaffect
thepossibility ofMembers making rights available onthebasis ofuse."
Please explain howcurrent UStrademark statutes comply withtherequirement that"[i]nthe
caseofuseofanidentical signforidentical services, alikelihood ofconfusion shallbepresumed".
3. Article 19.1oftheTRIPS Agreement provides:
"Ifuseisrequired tomaintain aregistration, theregistration maybecancelled onlyafteran
uninterruptedperiodofatleastthreeyearsofnon-use,unlessvalidreasonsbasedontheexistence
ofobstacles tosuchuseareshown bythetrademark owner."
PleaseexplainhowcurrentUStrademarklawscomplywiththeTRIPSAgreement'srequirement
that"registration maybecancelled onlyafteranuninterrupted period ofthree years ofnon-use".IP/C/W/37
Page13
Geographical indications
4. TheUnited States hasindicated thattheterm"geographical indication" asusedinSection 2
oftheTrademark Actwillbeinterpreted tocomprise "only those areas which haveareputation for
being associated withthespecific goods atissue". Please explain howthisinterpretation isconsistent
withTRIPS Article 22,which defines geographical indications as"indications which identify agood
asoriginating intheterritory ofaMember, oraregion orlocality inthatterritory, where agiven quality,
reputation orother characteristic ofthegood isessentially attributable toitsgeographical origin".
5. Under 15U.S.C.A. §1052(a), theUnited States permits theregistration orcontinuation of
atrademark thatincludes afalsegeographical indication forwines orspirits, ifthetrademark wasfirst
usedbefore thedateofapplication oftheTRIPS Agreement. TheUnited States doesnotrequire a
determination thatthetrademark wasapplied for,registered, oracquired in"good faith". Please explain
howthisprovision isconsistent withTRIPS Articles 23.2and24.5which provide thattrademark
registration shallberefused orinvalidated forafalsegeographical indication forwines andspirits except
where "atrademark hasbeenapplied fororregistered ingood faith",before theapplication ofthe
TRIPS Agreement.
6. TRIPS Article 23setsforth "Additional Protection forGeographical Indications forWines
andSpirits". Article 23.1states:
"Each Member shall provide thelegal means forinterested parties toprevent useofa
geographical indication identifying wines forwines notoriginating intheplace indicated by
thegeographical indication inquestion...even where thetrueorigin ofthegoods isindicated
orthegeographical indication isusedintranslation oraccompanied byexpressions suchas
"kind", "type", "style", "imitation", orthelike."
DoesUSlegislation implement thisprovision? Ifnot,whatintentions doestheUSGovernment
haveinorder toprovide forsuchprotection?
7. Under27C.F.R.§4.24,theDirectoroftheBureauofAlcohol,TobaccoandFirearms("BATF")
hassoleauthority todetermine whether aname ofgeographic significance withrespect towinehas
become "generic" or"semi-generic". Please explain thebasisonwhich theDirector determines whether
names ofgeographic significance, which arerecognised andprotected intheEuropean Community
anditsMemberStates,areorhavebecome"generic"or"semi-generic"andexplainalsohowtherelevant
standard comports withTRIPS Articles 22.1and23.1.
8. Under 27C.F.R. §5.22(k)(2), theDirector oftheBATF hassoleauthority todetermine whether
geographical names fordistilled spirits "have byusage andcommon knowledge losttheirgeographical
significance tosuchextent thattheyhavebecome generic". Please explain ingreater detail thebasis
onwhich theDirector determines whether ageographical name fordistilled spirits hasbecome "generic"
andexplain howtherelevant standard comports withTRIPS Articles 22.1and23.1.
9. Please explain, howtheDirector oftheBATF willexercise theauthority todesignate names
ofgeographic significance forwines as"semi-generic" or"generic" andtheauthority todesignate
geographical names fordistilled spirits "generic" consistent withtheobligation ofArticle 24.3not
to"diminish theprotection ofgeographical indications thatexisted [intheUnited States] immediately
prior totheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement".IP/C/W/37
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10. Under 27C.F.R. §4.24(b)(1), a"semi-generic" name ofgeographical significance forwine
maybeusedtodescribe winethatisnotoftheindicated origin, solongasitisaccompanied byan
indication disclosing thewine'strueplace oforigin. Please explain howthisprovision isconsistent
withTRIPS Article 23.1which forbids falseuseofgeographical indications evenwhere thetrueorigin
ofthegood isindicated.
Industrial designs
11. Does USlawprovide fortheprotection oftextile design, including fashion? Ifyes,onwhat
legalbasis andunder which conditions (TRIPS Article 25.2)?