645. Since the last TRIPS Council Meeting in October 2020, the Trade Policy Reviews of the following seven Members took place: Thailand; Indonesia; Macao, China; India; Nicaragua; Myanmar; and of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During this review, delegations they sought further TRIPS-related details on:
a. The implementation of the TRIPS Agreement and National Intellectual Property Strategies;
b. Institutional arrangements for the administration and enforcement of intellectual property;
c. Specific policies geared towards small and medium enterprises, start-ups and female inventors;
d. Copyright and related-rights regimes;
e. Trademark regime, including sound and smell marks;
f. Protection of geographical indications and denominations of origin;
g. Patent regime;
h. Criteria for compulsory licences and remuneration for patent holders;
i. Protection of new plant varieties;
j. Trade secrets and other industrial property misappropriation;
k. Enforcement, online and at the border;
l. International cooperation on enforcement of intellectual property rights;
m. Programmes to raise awareness on the importance of the protection of intellectual property;
n. Ratification of the Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement;
o. Bilateral cooperation agreements between intellectual property offices;
p. Measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
q. Accession to and implementation of WIPO instruments; and
r. Accession to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.
646. As reported during the last meeting, the Secretariat contributed to the G20 and WTO wide Director-General's Monitoring Reports that were distributed in November 2020.
647. Currently, we are in the process of doing the preparatory research for the upcoming mid-year reports. The Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will send a fax in the coming weeks, inviting delegations to submit information related to measures taken on trade in goods, services and intellectual property, since mid-October 2020.
648. Building on the current practice, the mid-year monitoring reports also include a sub-section on the specific IP-related measures aimed at facilitating the development and dissemination of COVID-19-related health technologies, as well as at relaxing procedural requirements and extending deadlines for administrative IP matters. The table containing these measures is regularly updated and available on the WTO website, as was discussed earlier under agenda item 3.
