33. The representative of El Salvador said that his delegation considered that a register for GIs for wines and spirits should facilitate the level of protection of GIs for these types of products, keep the costs and burdens for Members to a minimum and respect the balance of rights and obligations as established in the TRIPS Agreement, in particular under Article 23.4. This would be in line with the mandate, particularly in paragraph 18 of the Doha Declaration. El Salvador was of the view that the register should not produce anything different from what Members already had in their national systems, be it through trademarks or GIs. Existing national procedures should be preserved and acquired rights of individuals guaranteed under national legislation should be respected. The register should be public and preserve the rights of the applicants. The joint proposal, which El Salvador co-sponsored, did not in any way question the existing balance of rights and obligations in the TRIPS Agreement. El Salvador could not accept that negotiations be extended or intended to be extended to registers of GIs for products other than wines and spirits, as this would be a violation of the negotiation mandate.
