RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/N/1/CUB/1
20October 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3211)
Original: Spanish Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
NOTIFICATION OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS
UNDER ARTICLE 63.2OFTHE AGREEMENT
Cuba
Thefollowing communication, dated 19September 1995, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission oftheRepublic ofCuba, withtherequest thatitbecirculated totheMembers oftheCouncil
forTRIPS.
_________________
1. TheGovernmentoftheRepublicofCubahasthehonourtoinformtheCouncilforTrade-Related
Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights that,inorder tomeetitsobligations under Article 70.8ofthe
AgreementonTrade-RelatedAspectsofIntellectualPropertyRights,theCouncilofStateoftheRepublic
ofCuba promulgated Decree LawNo.160on9June1995(Special Official Gazette No.2,yearXCIII,
page3,of10June1995).
2. Decree LawNo.160allows submission totheNational Office forInventions, Technical
Information andTrademarks (ONIITEM) ofpatent applications forinventions intheareaof
pharmaceutical andagricultural chemical products.
3. Theformalities andofficial feesforpatent applications forpharmaceutical andagricultural
chemical products arethesame asforallother patent applications.
4. Pursuant toDecree LawNo.160/95, onreceiving patent applications forpharmaceutical and
agricultural chemical products, theONIITEM willdetermine whether theymeettherequirements for
publication atleast18months andnolaterthan24months afterthesubmission date, orthepriority
dateifthisisrequested.
5. Itisrecalled thattheNational Office forInventions, Technical Information andTrademarks
(ONIITEM) islocated at:Calle Picota No.15entre LuzyAcosta, LaHabana Vieja, Ciudad deLa
Habana, CP10100, Republic ofCuba. TheOffice isopentothepublic from8:00a.m.to12:00 noon,
and12:30 p.m.to4:30p.m.
6. ThetextofDecree LawNo.160/95 isappended fortheinformation ofMembers oftheCouncil
forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights.IP/N/1/CUB/1
Page2
THE COUNCIL OFSTATE
FIDEL CASTRO RUZ, President oftheCouncil ofState oftheRepublic ofCuba.
HEREBY INFORMS: ThattheCouncil ofState hasagreed thefollowing:
WHEREAS: TheConstitution oftheRepublic ofCuba establishes thattheStateshallprotect thecreative
work ofthepeople,
WHEREAS: Decree LawNo.68of14May1983 entitled "OnInventions, Scientific Discoveries,
Industrial Designs, Trademarks andTrade Names" establishes thatpharmaceutical andagricultural
chemical products shallbegranted onlyanInventor 'sCertificate,
WHEREAS: Itisnecessary toalign existing regulations withthecharacteristics andtendencies of
themultilateral framework ofprinciples andstandards adopted intheUruguay Round ofMultilateral
Trade Negotiations oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade,
ACCORDINGLY: TheCouncil ofState, pursuant totheattributions conferred onitbyArticle 19(c)
oftheConstitution oftheRepublic, resolves thefollowing:
DECREE LAW NO.160
TOFACILITATE THE SUBMISSION AND MODIFICATION OF
APPLICATIONS FOR PATENTS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL
AND AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
ARTICLE 1.Patent applications forpharmaceutical andagricultural chemical products maybe
submitted totheNational Office forInventions, Technical Information andTrademarks, hereinafter
"theOffice".
ARTICLE 2.Article thirty-nine ofDecree Lawnumber sixty-eight oftheyearnineteen hundred and
eighty-three shallbeamended toreadasfollows:
"ARTICLE 39.1. Theinventor 'scertificate shallbegranted solely toinventions consisting
of:
(1) Plant varieties andbreeds ofanimals.
(2) Strains ofmicro-organisms.
(3) Food substances andmedicinal substances.
(4) Methods fortheprevention, diagnosis andcureofhuman, animal andplant diseases.
(5) Chemically-obtained substances.
(6) Processes thatusenuclear techniques, substances obtained therefrom andforms ofuse
ofnuclear energy.
(7) Newusesofalready known equipment, processes andproducts.
(8) Objects which, according totheestablished order, areconsidered secret.IP/N/1/CUB/1
Page3
2. Without prejudice totheforegoing, inthecaseofpharmaceutical andagricultural chemical
products, theapplicant mayrequest either apatent certificate oraninventor 'scertificate. Inbothcases
thelegislation applicable tothecorresponding application shallapply."
ARTICLE 3.1.Anynatural orlegalperson mayapply forpatents forpharmaceutical andagricultural
chemical products.
2. Applicants whoarenotpermanent residents intheterritory oftheRepublic ofCuba shallappoint
anauthorized national representative.
3. Inthecaseofapplications forinventions made byaworker during alabour orservice contract
orrelationship withanentity orwiththeeffective collaboration oftheentity, theapplication shallbe
submitted inthename ofthatentity.
ARTICLE 4.1.Following submission ofapatent application forpharmaceutical oragricultural
chemical products, theOffice shallascertain whether theapplication meets alltheestablished formal
requirements forpublication atleast18months, andnolaterthan24months, afterthedateofsubmission
orthedateofpriority, ifthelatter isinvoked.
2. Every publication shallexpressly statethattheapplication is"anapplication forregistration
ofapatent forpharmaceutical oragricultural chemical products".
ARTICLE 5.Applicants forpatents forpharmaceutical andagricultural chemical products must
communicate totheOffice anychanges ormodifications intheirpersonal information, name oraddress,
andthepersonal information, name oraddress oftheirrepresentative.
ARTICLE 6.1.TheprovisionsofDecreeLawnumbersixty-eightofnineteenhundredandeighty-three
shallapply toanyapplications foraninventor 'scertificate forpharmaceutical andagricultural chemical
products, which havenotbeenabandoned, refused orgranted, andwhich havenotbeenchanged for
apatent application pursuant totheprovisions ofthepresent Decree Law.
2. Thesame treatment shallapply toapplications foraninventor 'scertificate forpharmaceutical
andagricultural chemical products, submitted aftertheentryintoforceofthepresent provisions, without
prejudice toapplications foraninventor 'scertificate being changed toapplications forapatent while
formalities areinprogress.
TRANSITIONAL PROVISION
Natural orlegal persons whohaveapplied forinventor 'scertificates forpharmaceutical or
agricultural chemical products, which havenotbeenabandoned, refused orgranted atthedateofthe
entry intoforce ofthepresent Decree Lawandwithin anon-extendable three-month period fromthat
date,mayrequest theOffice, subject topayment ofthecorresponding fee,tochange theirapplications
foraninventor 'scertificate toapplications forapatent.
Forthispurpose, thepersons concerned shallmake allthemodifications theydeem relevant
intheapplication, provided thatsuchmodifications include nonewsubject matter.
FINAL PROVISIONS
1. TheMinister ofScience, Technology andtheEnvironment shallissue anyprovisions which
maybenecessary toensure optimum compliance withtheprovisions ofthepresent Decree Law.IP/N/1/CUB/1
Page4
2. ThelastparagraphofArticle46,DecreeLawNo.68,ofthefourteenthofMay,nineteenhundred
andeighty-three, ishereby repealed, andArticle 138,Decree LawNo.68,ishereby amended toread
asfollows:
"ARTICLE 138. Applications maybesubmitted by:
(1) Heads ofAgencies oftheCentral Administration oftheState, Directors ofEnterprises,
Heads ofInstitutions, Heads ofLocal Bodies ofthePeople 'sPower ortheir duly
authorized officials orrepresentatives.
(2) Arepresentative, whomust submit adocument accrediting himassuch."
3. Authorization fornatural persons whoaretobeconsidered official agents andmayactas
representatives oftheapplicants shallbegiven bytheDirector oftheOffice inaccordance withthe
procedure tobeestablished.
Representatives oftheChamber ofCommerce oftheRepublic ofCuba whoareaccredited
atthedateofentryintoforceofthepresent Decree Lawshallbeconsidered tobesoauthorized ipsofacto
andshallretain theircapacity asofficial agents ofindustrial property.
Heads ofAgencies oftheCentral Administration oftheState, Directors ofEnterprises, Heads
ofInstitutions andHeads ofLocal Bodies ofthePeople 'sPower, maynominate theirrepresentatives
totheOffice.
4. ThepresentDecreeLawshallapplyasfromitspublicationintheOfficialGazetteoftheRepublic
ofCuba.
DONE atthePalacio delaRevolución intheCityofHavana onthe9thdayofJune1995.
Fidel Castro Ruz
President oftheCouncil ofState