76. The representative of the United States, referring to the questions posed by Hungary, recalled that his delegation had indicated at the last meeting that they would undertake some review procedure for determining what and how to notify under the joint proposal. Like the EC delegation, who had indicated that the EC had not taken any decision on how they would notify GIs under their proposal, the United States had not taken any final decision on how they would proceed. In response to the latest comments made by the EC representative on disputes, he said that disputes would be handled at the national level under national law. However, the important point he wanted to make was that there should not be any requirement for consultations. It should also be noted that the costs involved in litigating these disputes or in examining GIs in all of the systems were borne solely by the applicant.
