IP/C/W/616/Add.5

United States of America

1 INTRODUCTION 1. The United States is committed to continually enhancing its activities pursuant to Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement, and reporting those activities, in keeping with the guidelines established in the TRIPS Council's Decision of 20 February 2003 (IP/C/28). Consistent with this decision, developed country members shall provide yearly reports to least developed country (LDC) Members on actions taken or planned in pursuance of the commitments of developed countries under Article 66.2 to provide incentives to enterprises and institutions in their territories for the purpose of promoting and encouraging technology transfer to least developed country Members, in order to enable them to create a sound and viable technological base. 2. The intellectual property (IP), trade capacity, training, development assistance, educational, financing, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure-related programmes described in this report are integral elements of the efforts of the United States to support LDCs in fostering the necessary environment to encourage the effective, voluntary transfer of technology to LDC Members. No report can represent every activity that directly or indirectly incentivizes enterprises and institutions for the purpose of promoting and encouraging technology transfer, but this report attempts to describe the most significant activities and programmes and to convey the breadth and depth of US efforts. 3. Much of the US Government research conducted by federally operated laboratories and federally funded research and development (R&D) centres results in inventions or findings that contribute to the development of new technologies and processes. Commercialization of these outputs can yield economic and social benefits that increase returns on the investment in federal R&D. 4. The United States continues to believe that the effective functioning of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement requires a robust dialogue between developed country and LDC Members, in order to target incentives in a way that is most responsive to the self-identified technology transfer interests and needs of LDC Members. The United States encourages the efforts of the TRIPS Council Secretariat and Member states to organize discussions among the Member states regarding Article 66.2 implementation.