54. The representative of Chile supported the point made by the representative of Australia that there were many GIs "shared" by Chile and other countries of Latin America. Her delegation believed that the costs of an opposition system as had been suggested by the EC would be very heavy. As shown by the WTO dispute settlement system, not only were the costs high for governments but there were many costs for producers and exporters. Furthermore, Members would live in a state of uncertainty as regards their future as exporters or producers because of the length of the opposition procedure. While her delegation was not questioning the obligations in Article 23.4, it believed that the system as put forward by the EC and others would add to the existing obligations under the TRIPS Agreement.
