Ambassador Alfredo Suescum (Panama)

Switzerland

12 CONTRIBUTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY RATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

266. Switzerland, at the TRIPS Council meeting in June 2013 set out its view on the key role of innovation and the importance of intellectual property in general, and patents in particular, for the development of and access to environmentally safe technology to more effectively address the many challenges that climate change poses. My delegation fully associates itself with the statement made earlier by the US delegation under this agenda item. 267. At the last TRIPS Council meeting, my delegation posed a number of questions to Ecuador on some of the premises in its proposal in IP/C/W/585. We look forward to receiving responses to these questions by Ecuador at the next TRIPS Council meeting.

The Council took note of the statements made.

12.1. The Chairman recalled that, at the Council's meeting in March 2013, Ecuador had briefly presented, under "Other Business", its submission entitled "Contribution of Intellectual Property for Facilitating the Transfer of Environmentally Rational Technology" (document IP/C/W/585). That document had been discussed at the Council's meeting in June 2013 under an item on "Intellectual Property, Climate Change and Development" that had been put on the agenda at the request of Ecuador.

12.2. The representatives of Ecuador, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Indonesia, Cuba, China, United States, European Union, India, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Chile, Australia, Switzerland, Brazil and Venezuela took the floor. The statements will be reproduced in an addendum to the present record.

12.3. The Council took note of the statements made.

IP/C/M/74, IP/C/M/74/Add.1