RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/N/4/EEC/1
29January 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-0351)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 4(d)OFTHE AGREEMENT
European Communities andtheirMember States
Thefollowing communication, dated 19December 1995, wasreceived fromtheHead ofthe
Permanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission andthePermanent Representative ofSpain.
_______________
Article 4,paragraph (d)oftheAgreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property
Rights provides thefollowing:
"With regard totheprotection ofintellectual property, anyadvantage, favour, privilege or
immunity granted byaMember tothenationals ofanyother country shall beaccorded
immediately andunconditionally tothenationals ofallother Members. Exempted fromthis
obligation areanyadvantage, favour, privilege orimmunity byaMember:
[...]
(d)deriving from international agreements related totheprotection ofintellectual property
which entered intoforce prior totheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, provided that
suchagreements arenotified totheCouncil forTRIPS anddonotconstitute anarbitrary or
unjustifiable discrimination against nationals ofother Members."
Wehereby notify onbehalf oftheEuropean Community anditsMember States totheCouncil
forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights, pursuant toArticle 4,paragraph (d)ofthe
Agreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights, boththeTreaty establishing the
European Community andtheAgreement establishing theEuropean Economic Area.1Notification
ofthese agreements covers notonlythose provisions directly contained therein, asinterpreted bythe
relevant jurisprudence, butalsoexisting orfuture actsadopted bytheCommunity assuchand/or by
theMember States which conform withtheseagreements following theprocess ofregional integration.
1Thetexts ofthese agreements areavailable intheWTO Secretariat forconsultation byinterested delegations.