IP/C/W/582/Add.2

Australia

1. Australia is pleased to respond to the Council for TRIPS' request for information from developed country Members on technical and financial cooperation activities in the area of intellectual property rights in fulfilment of Article 67 of the TRIPS Agreement. This report details the Australian Government's intellectual property (IP) related technical cooperation activities with developing and least developed countries during the period 2011-12 and highlights some anticipated future work in this area. 2. Australia fulfils its Article 67 technical cooperation commitments through multilateral, regional and bilateral programmes and activities. Many are focused on developing countries in Australia's own Asia-Pacific region, and from 2012 Australia is increasing its IP engagement with Africa, in particular through cooperation with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and South Africa. Australia also works closely with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, APEC's Intellectual Property Rights Expert Group (APEC IPEG) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in assisting developing and least developed countries to build their IP capacity and systems. 3. Key websites containing information on Australia's IP regime and which may be considered a technical cooperation resource include the IP Australia website covering patents, designs, trademarks and plant breeders' rights (http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au); the Attorney General's Department website on copyright developments (http://www.ag.gov.au/copyright); and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website on international IP developments (http://www.dfat.gov.au/ip).