WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/294
5 August 1999
(99-3316)
General Council Original:  English
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Involvement of WIPO in the Management of the Multilateral System of
Notification and Registration Provided for under
Article 23:4 of the Agreement on TRIPS
Communication from Hungary
The following communication, dated 28 July 1999, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Hungary.
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Issue
1. Paragraph 4 of Article 23 states that "In order to facilitate the protection of geographical
indications for wines, negotiations shall be undertaken in the Council for TRIPS concerning the
establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications for
wines eligible for protection in those Members participating in the system."
2. Hungary, like many other WTO Members, attaches great importance to the earliest possible
establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications.
Hungary believes that in the absence of such a system, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Article 23 are verydifficult to apply in a reliable and consistent manner.
3. In the course of the discussions in the Council for TRIPS several delegations observed that
the multilateral registration system must not impose undue administrative burdens and costs on the
WTO Secretariat.  Hungary finds this argument reasonable and therefore believes that consideration
should be given to involving the International Bureau of WIPO in the management of the new system.A precedent for such involvement – although in another area of activities – already exists.  Under
Article 3 of the 1995 Agreement between the Worl d Intellectual Property Organization and the
World Trade Organization, the procedures relating to communication of emblems and transmittal of
objections under the Agreement on TRIPS is administered by the International Bureau of WIPO.  The
different membership of WIPO and WTO did not prove to be an obstacle to the establishment andoperation of that implementation scheme, which led to a considerable saving of resources.
Proposal
4. The Ministerial Conference should consider to invite the International Bureau of the
World Intellectual Property Organization to take part in the management of the multilateral system ofnotification and registration of geographical indications to be established pursuant to paragraph 4 of
Article 23 of the Agreement on TRIPS.
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