Minutes - TRIPS Council - View details of the intervention/statement

Mr. Martin Glass (Hong Kong, China)
World Trade Organization
L LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL CONCERNING WAYS TO IMPROVE THE TIMELINESS AND COMPLETENESS OF NOTIFICATIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION FLOWS
225. The representative of the Secretariat said that the basis of the work in this area remained the framework for notifications established by the decisions of the Council. The specific steps to improve the timeliness and completeness of notifications and other information flows, in response to the letter from the Chair of the General Council, had proceeded in the light of the document commissioned by this Council (IP/C/W/543), and the Council's review of that document. Significant progress had been made in improving the transparency and user-friendliness of the notification system, but much work still needed to be done. So far, some key steps included the establishment of a joint portal for notification, created with the indispensable cooperation and support of WIPO; the implementation of a Members' transparency toolkit; and the incorporation of notified materials and notification procedures into technical cooperation activities. 226. Document IP/C/W/543 had reported a very high rate of coverage of laws provided in initial notifications to the Council, but a more mixed record for subsequent notifications of new laws and amendments introduced since the original notification had been made. The improved system for providing notifications, including the implementation of the portal and incorporation of that element into regular technical cooperation activities, seemed to have helped Members in updating their notifications, and had simplified and streamlined the flow of documentation, especially since the WIPO-WTO common portal became fully operational. 227. The most recent development had been the presentation of the two contact point lists established under Articles 67 and 69 in the form of a drop down list, to make that valuable practical information more accessible than the paper based format which had been difficult to access and to use in a routine manner. That was a small, but significant, step towards the stated objective of making the remarkable body of valuable practical information that was embedded in 15 years of notifications more readily accessible and therefore put more systematically to use to serve the beneficial purpose for which it was designed. He said that he was hopeful that when he would report back to the Council under the Chairman's successor, he would have further practical steps to outline.
IP/C/M/65