45. The Chair recalled that, as provided by a TRIPS Council Decision on the Implementation of Article 66.2 of February 2003, developed country Members were to submit annual reports on actions taken or planned in pursuance of their commitments under Article 66.2. They were to provide new detailed reports every third year and updates in the intervening years.
46. In June 2019, the Council had requested developed country Members to submit the first set of updates to the sixth set of reports in time for the October meeting, and the Secretariat had since circulated a reminder. The Council had received updated reports from the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Canada and Norway. The documents were being circulated (IP/C/W/656 and addenda). In addition, the Council had received an Advance Working Copy of the report from the European Union and some of its member States. It had been made available as a room document (RD/IP/34) on documents online; and, would also be circulated as an addendum to document IP/C/W/656, once finalised.
47. Paragraph 2 of the Council's Decision on the Implementation of Article 66.2 explained that the annual review should provide Members with an opportunity to pose questions in relation to the information submitted and request additional information; discuss the effectiveness of the incentives provided in promoting and encouraging technology transfer to least developed country Members in order to enable them to create a sound and viable technological base; and to consider any points relating to the operation of the reporting procedure established by the Decision.
48. Some of the information by developed country Members has been received only very recently, and most of it was, so far, available only in its original language. Therefore, Members would have an opportunity to make further comments at the next meeting of the Council. This would give Members a chance to study the information recently circulated and any additional information subsequently received.
49. For the same reasons it had been decided to once again hold the Article 66.2 Workshop in February 2020, back-to-back with the TRIPS Council’s next meeting. The dates of the workshop would be 4-6 February 2020. This would give LDC delegations sufficient time to absorb the information provided by developed-country delegations in their reports and also to ensure that these reports were available in the official languages of the WTO. The Workshop would comprise two days of sessions on 4-5 February 2020, and a reporting and review segment within the formal meeting of the TRIPS Council on 6 February 2020. The Chair invited delegations from developed-country Members to introduce their reports.
50. The representatives of Canada; the United States of America; the European Union; Japan; Australia; Switzerland; Norway; and Bangladesh took the floor.
51. The Chair suggested that Members be given an opportunity to continue considering the information provided at the next meeting.
52. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.
