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

Mr. S. Harbinson (Hong Kong)
E Arrangements for cooperation with WIPO
23. The representative of Australia said that, on an initial analysis, Australia already wished to air some difficulties that it had with Article 5(2)(b) of the draft, which called for an amendment of the agreement in the event that there would be a new WTO Member which was neither a Member State of the United Nations nor a Member State of WIPO. These difficulties were both of a general nature, as the provision led to different treatment of a certain category of WTO Members, and of a more specific nature, as the provision would affect a number of countries in the Pacific region, such as Tonga, which was currently in the process of acceding to the WTO and was neither a Member State of the United Nations nor of WIPO.
IP/C/M/4