1.138. The representative of Korea said that the composite text represented meaningful progress and could be a good basis for further discussion. However, for her delegation, the consultations were still at an early stage and would require considerable effort to make substantive progress and remove square brackets as much as possible. Concrete work plans on how to proceed with consultations before Easter were necessary. In this regard, she said, although further text-based negotiations could be done in a small group setting in order to expedite discussions, those discussions should be shared with the wider membership in order to enhance transparency.
1.139. She recalled Korea's general position that the creation of a register system should be in line with the mandate and consistent with the territoriality principle of the TRIPS Agreement. Above all, the multilateral register should not impose heavy burdens on developing countries. Her delegation further had concerns regarding the statement made by the EU representative on certain elements of the W/52 proposal, such as mandatory participation and legal effects of registration.
