WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONIP/C/W/155/Add.2
7 October 1999
(99-4216)
Council for Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property RightsOriginal:  English
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  INFORMATION FROM
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
Addendum
ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The present document reproduces the updated information on technical and financial
cooperation activities relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement, which has been
received from the OECD by means of a communication, dated 22 September 1999.
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You will recall that we provided some inform ation to your predecessor, Ambassador Major,
in July 1998, concerning the preparation by the Working Party of the Trade Committee of a report on
Intellectual Property Practices of OECD countries in the field of biotechnology.  The report, covering
patent examination practices related to biotechnology inventions;  patent enforcement issues related to
patented inventions;  and plant variety protection issues relevant to plant inventions, was derestricted
in February 1999.  It is now available to the public, together with the country responses that served asa basis for preparing the report, on our website at http://www.oecd.org/ech/docs/bio.htm.  It has also
been made available to the TRIPS Council on the occasion of your recent discussion ofArticle 27.3(b).
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