RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/14
20October 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3204)
Original:English/French/Spanish Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
COMMUNICATION FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OFWIPO
Thefollowing communication, dated 6October 1995, hasbeenreceived bytheChairman of
theCouncil forTRIPS from theDirector General oftheWorld Intellectual Property Organization.
_______________
Ihavethehonour toacknowledge receipt ofyourletter of22September 1995, informing me
ofthediscussions thattookplace inthemeeting oftheCouncil forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual
Property Rights heldon21September 1995, concerning arrangements forcooperation between WIPO
andtheWTO, andrequesting thatIconvey totheMember States ofWIPO theviews oftheCouncil
concerning suchcooperation assetoutinyourletter.
AsIamsureyouhavealready beeninformed, thecontent ofyourletter hadbeendistributed
inWIPO document WO/GA/XVI/5 atthe1995 session oftheGeneral Assembly ofWIPO during the
week of25September, andformed partofthebasis fordeliberation ofthatbody. Iamenclosing for
yourinformationacopyofthatdocument,aswellasoftheFinalReportofthatsession(WO/GA/XVI/7),
which setsoutthedecisions taken bytheGeneral Assembly concerning cooperation between WIPO
andtheWTO.1
_______________
Theannex tothepresent document reproduces thepartoftheFinal Report referred tointhis
letter which setsoutthedecisions taken bytheGeneral Assembly concerning cooperation between
WIPO andtheWTO.
1InteresteddelegationscanobtaincopiesoftheseWIPOdocument sfromtheWTOSecretariat(office3012; tel:7395115).IP/C/W/14
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ANNEX
FINAL REPORT OFTHE WIPO GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
SIXTEENTH SESSION (12TH ORDINARY), GENEVA,
25SEPTEMBER TO3OCTOBER 1995
Item 7oftheConsolidated Agenda:
Cooperation withtheWorld Trade Organization
5. Discussions werebased ondocuments WO/GA/XVI/1, WO/GA/XVI/4, WO/GA/XVI/5 and
WO/GA/XVI/6.
6. TheDirector General saidthattheWorld Trade Organization (WTO) hadbeeninvited tothe
present session, inanobserver capacity, pending theconclusion ofanagreement between thetwo
Organizations.
7. TherepresentativeoftheWorldTradeOrganizationpresentedthecommunicationoftheChairman
oftheCouncil forTRIPS oftheWTO which wascontained indocument WO/GA/XVI/5, andstated
thattheCouncil forTRIPS hadgiven agreatdealofattention tothequestion ofcooperation withWIPO.
Thisreflected theimportance attached bythatCouncil totheissue ofcooperation between thetwo
Organizations andtotheconclusion ofarrangements towards theformation ofamutually supportive
relationship withWIPO. Henoted thatthecommunication contained indocument WO/GA/XVI/5
putforth anumber ofconcrete suggestions forsuchcooperation which weretheresult ofdeliberations
oftheCouncil forTRIPS.
8. Thedelegation ofSpain, speaking onbehalf oftheMember States oftheEuropean Union,
presented theproposal contained indocument WO/GA/XVI/6. Theproposal recommended thatthe
WIPO General Assembly asktheChairman oftheWIPO Coordination Committee, assisted bythe
International Bureau, toconduct onbehalf ofWIPO theconsultations withtheWTO oncooperation
between WIPO andtheWTO. Theproposal didnotcontain anymention ofthefinancial impact of
cooperation, which would bediscussed under agenda item13.However, thedelegation stated that
suchareference could beincluded inanewparagraph 12added totheproposal contained indocument
WO/GA/XVI/6, which would stress theneedtoallocate thenecessary funds tocover additional costs
arising from suchcooperation.
9. Thedelegation oftheUnited States ofAmerica recalled thethree proposals thatitscountry
hadsubmitted withrespect totherelationship between WIPO andtheWTO. Twoofthese proposals,
contained indocument WO/GA/XVI/4, related tothecollection ofintellectual property lawsand
regulations, andtonotifications under Article 6teroftheParis Convention. Document AB/XXVI/11
contained athirdproposal, tobeconsidered under item13oftheagenda, forthecreation ofaunit
within WIPO dedicated tothetaskofassisting WIPO 'smember countries inmeeting theirobligations
under theTRIPS Agreement. Thedelegation considered, however, thatallthreematters wereessentially
covered bytheproposal putforward bytheMember States oftheEuropean Union indocument
WO/GA/XVI/6, withwhich thedelegation could associate itself.
10. TheDirector General presented theproposal oftheInternational Bureau contained indocument
WO/GA/XVI/1.
11. Thedelegation ofCôted'Ivoire, speaking onbehalf oftheAfrican Group, requested more
timetofinalize theirposition.IP/C/W/14
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12. Thedelegation ofTunisia stated thatitwasready tocomment onsubstance, buthadnoobjection
todelaying thediscussion toalatertimetoallow delegations tofinalize theirpositions.
13. Thedelegation ofMexico, speaking onbehalf oftheGroup ofLatin American andCaribbean
countries, stated thattheGroup supported theexpansion ofWIPO development cooperation activities
withrespect toimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement, including anincrease ofresources involving
additional funding intheWIPO budget. Thedelegation requested thattheInternational Bureau submit
astudy onthecostofsuchincreased cooperation. Itsupported theproposal oftheMember States
oftheEuropean Union involving theextension ofdevelopment cooperation activities forimplementation
ofTRIPS withanincrease offunds, andrequesting theChairman oftheWIPO Coordination Committee
toundertake contacts withtheWTO withtheassistance oftheadhocworking group.
14. Thedelegation oftheUnited Kingdom, speaking onbehalf oftheGroup ofindustrialized
countries, stated thattheGroup hadstudied theproposal oftheMember States oftheEuropean Union
andthatthereexistedsubstantialsupportamongtheGroupforthatproposal.AstudybytheInternational
Bureau ofthecostsofcooperation, taking intoaccount different hypotheses, would bewelcome. The
proposal oftheMember States oftheEuropean Union wasdesigned toestablish amechanism for
discussions bothwithin WIPO andbetween WIPO andtheWTO, andtheGroup ofindustrialized
countries supported thisproposed mechanism.
15. TheChairman adjourned themeeting forconsultations.
16. Themeeting reconvened afteritems 8to16oftheConsolidated Agenda hadbeendisposed
of.
17. Thedelegation oftheUnited Kingdom, speaking onbehalf oftheGroup ofindustrialized
countries, stated thatinformal negotiations among some representatives were stillongoing.
18. Thedelegation ofJordan, speaking onbehalf oftheArab Group, affirmed anumber ofbasic
principles which hadtobetaken intoconsideration when debating thequestion ofcooperation with
theWTO. First, theArabGroup believed thatthereshould beanequitable relationship between WIPO
andtheWTO, withtheaimofavoiding anyduplication ofactivities orresources andhelping developing
countries tomeettheircommitments under TRIPS. Second, technical andlegalassistance thatwas
being offered todeveloping countries under theWIPO development cooperation programme, which
hadalready begun totakeintoconsideration commitments under theTRIPS Agreement inaccordance
withtheresolution adopted bythe1994 sessions oftheGoverning Bodies, should notberestricted
tohelpinredrafting legislation tomatch international norms, butshould alsobegiven inrespect of
theagencies concerned withadministering intellectual property issues. TheArab Group welcomed
thedecision taken thedaybefore, intheframework ofthediscussion ofitem13oftheConsolidated
Agenda, withregard totheallocation ofthenecessary funds fordevelopment cooperation activities,
andaffirmed thattheadditional financial resources tobeallocated should notbededucted from the
resources allocated, asaresult ofthediscussion ofthesaiditem13,fortheimplementation of
development cooperation. Finally, theArabGroup asked theInternational Bureau toundertake astudy
ontheeconomic andsocial impact ondeveloping countries ofhaving tomeetcommitments under the
TRIPS Agreement.
19. TheDirector General expressed theviewthatthere werethree questions which needed tobe
addressed inthepresent meeting, namely, whoshould negotiate inthename ofWIPO, thesubstance
ofthenegotiations, andfinancial implications. Thefirstquestion hadtobesolved during thepresent
meeting, andhehadmade proposals inhisdocument. Concerning substance, hesuggested thatan
agreement could besought along thelinesofthetwoproposals received fromtheWTO, without going
atthisstage intodetails which could prejudice theforthcoming negotiations. Concerning thefinancialIP/C/W/14
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implications, there were twotasks. Onewasdevelopment cooperation, inconnection withwhich it
hadbeenagreed toallocate from PCTfunds anadditional SwF3million peryear. Theother was
theextension andadministration ofthelawcollection, including translations, andtheState emblem
communications. Their costestimation mustwaituntilthedraftagreement existed, because oneneeded
toknow certain details, suchasinwhatforms thelawcollection would bekept,inwhatforms itwould
beputatthedisposal ofthegovernments andthegeneral public, intowhat language orlanguages
translation would havetobemade attheexpense ofWIPO, etc.Theresources oftheSwF3million
peryearallocated inthebudget wereonlyfordevelopment cooperation, notforactivities connected
withthenotifications. Asfarasastudy ontheeconomic andsocial impact oftheTRIPS Agreement
ondeveloping countries wasconcerned, hesaidthatWIPO wasnotequipped tomake suchstudies.
20. TheDirectorGeneralaskedwhetheranydelegationhadanydifficultywithhisfirstpoint,namely,
thequestion ofwhoshould undertake thenegotiations.
21. Thedelegation oftheUnited Kingdom stated thatthispoint wasoneofthecontroversial points
inthediscussion. TheGroup ofindustrialized countries considered thatinformal consultations could
beundertaken onbehalf ofWIPO bytheChairman oftheWIPO Coordination Committee assisted
bytheInternational Bureau, butother groups were stillconsidering thematter. Concerning the
substantive issues thattheDirector General hadmentioned, thereseemed tobeadesire tomake specific
reference tothetypeofarrangements being sought; theGroup ofindustrialized countries feltthatit
wasimportant toputatleastthenotification mechanisms inplace by1January 1996, because certain
obligations hadtobemetatthattimebythose countries. Asregards therequested study, thiswas
amatter considered byother groups asimportant. Finally, thebudget andcostissues werestillbeing
looked at.
22. ThedelegationofCôted'Ivoire,speakingonbehalfoftheGroupofAfricancountries,considered
itimportant thattheautonomy ofthetwoorganizations beensured andthatthere should beequality
between them. Moreover, increased transparency intheprocess ofnegotiation waswished.
23. TheGeneral Assembly adjourned forinformal consultations.
24. When theGeneral Assembly reconvened, thedelegation oftheUnited Kingdom stated that
thevarious groups hadreached anagreement which incorporated theneeds ofallthegroups, based
onamodification ofthetextoftheproposal submitted bytheMember States oftheEuropean Union
indocument WO/GA/XVI/6. Thedelegation readoutthefollowing text:
"THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OFWIPO
Desirous ofpromoting cooperation between WIPO andtheWTO intheareaofintellectual
property rights without prejudice totheintegrity andautonomy ofeither organization;
Desirous thatWIPO andtheWTO continue tonegotiate theterms andareas ofcooperation
between them;
1. agrees thatinformal consultations between WIPO andtheWTO should continue and
should beconducted bytheChairman oftheCoordination Committee assisted bythe
International Bureau. Inthisprocess theChairman oftheCoordination Committee
shallinvite, atthedifferent stages intheconsultations, allMember States ofWIPO
toinformal meetings toseektheirguidance;IP/C/W/14
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2. agrees thatanyprovisional agreements reached intheinformal discussions between
WIPO andtheWTO oncooperation between thesetwoorganizations should bereferred
totheCoordination Committee ofWIPO forapproval andthentotheGeneral Assembly
forreview;
3. agrees thatpreparations should bemade sothatextraordinary sessions ofthe
Coordination Committee andGeneral Assembly ofWIPO cantakeplace in1995 to
takeanynecessary action inrelation tonotifications required by1January 1996 and
otherwise fortheentire scope ofcooperation between thetwoorganizations by
9March 1996;
4. agrees thatarrangements should bepursued indiscussion withtheWTO toensure that
asingle notification willsuffice, where appropriate andfeasible, forthepurposes of
thetwoorganizations andtherespective conventions andtreaties forwhich theyare
responsible, including Article 6teroftheParisConvention, andthatsucharrangements
should becapable ofbeing implemented inthesimplest andmost practical manner;
5. agrees thatappropriate procedures should apply toensure thatnotifications made are
available toeachorganization anditsMembers onabasis tobeagreed between the
twoorganizations;
6. agrees thattheWIPO collection oflawsandregulations beexpanded toinclude laws
andregulations covered bytheTRIPS Agreement andtoexpand thepublication, and
explore thedevelopment ofacomputerized database, ofallsuchlawsandregulations;
7. agrees thattheInternational Bureau should make copies oflawsorregulations available
ondemand, through procedures tobedefined between thetwoorganizations, tothe
WTO Secretariat andMembers ofWIPO andtheWTO;
8. agrees thattheInternational Bureau should assist developing country Members ofeither
WIPO ortheWTO, orboth, withtranslations oftheirintellectual property lawsand
regulations intooneWTO language, ormore generally aspossible;
9. agrees thattheInternational Bureau should make arrangements soastobeableto
respond torequests fromdeveloping countries forWIPO legalandtechnical assistance
relating totheTRIPS Agreement andshould report tothenextsession oftheGoverning
Bodiesin1996onthetypeandrecipientsoftheseactivities;includingastudyconducted
byWIPO onfinancial andother implications oftheimplementation oftheTRIPS
Agreement fordeveloping countries;
10. agreesthattheInternationalBureaushouldexpandthecoverageoftheTRIPSAgreement
inexisting WIPO development cooperation activities;
11. agrees toallocate additional financing ofSfr3million perannum from within total
existing resources asnecessary tomeetthecosts ofadditional actions tobetaken in
connection withtheTRIPS Agreement andwithWIPO relations withtheWTO;
12. agrees thattheInternational Bureau should study andsubmit totheBudget Committee
inNovember 1995 thefinancial implications ofWIPO/WTO cooperation;
13. agrees thattheissueoftheinstitutional costofWIPO/WTO cooperation should bekept
inmind during theconsultations."IP/C/W/14
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25. TheGeneral Assembly adopted thetextoftheproposal asreadoutbythedelegation ofthe
United Kingdom.
26. TheDirector General expressed hispleasure thatanagreement hadbeenreached, butfound
theschedule adopted tobesomewhat tight.