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

Ambassador Eui-yong Chung (Korea, Republic of)
European Union
C.i New papers from participants
11. The representative of the European Communities made some preliminary comments regarding the communication contained in document TN/IP/W/5. In his view, the key question would be whether the proposal satisfied the criteria and objectives of Article 23. On the basis of the introductory remarks made in relation to document TN/IP/W/5, he said that he remained sceptical about the direction in which this new or amended proposal was going: the basic objective seemed to establish a database. As indicated in the past, the mere establishment of a database without directly leading to legal effect was not a meaningful solution that the EC were seeking. With regard to special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed countries, the EC shared the view that the registration system should be simple and inexpensive. The system proposed by the EC and their member States was simple and would not entail major costs.
TN/IP/M/3