159. The Chairman recalled that, at its meeting in February 2003, the Council had adopted a decision on the "Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement". Paragraph 1 of the Decision provided that developed country Members would submit annually reports on actions taken or planned in pursuance of their commitments under Article 66.2. To this end, they must provide new detailed reports every third year and, in the intervening years, provide updates to their most recent reports. These reports were to be submitted prior to the last Council meeting scheduled for the year in question. The Decision had been adopted on the basis that the first set of new detailed annual reports to be presented under it be submitted by the end of 2003. It had been noted that many Members had already submitted detailed reports in the Autumn of 2002, and that it was expected that those reports be updated and revised in light of the Decision.
160. Pursuant to this, at its meeting in June, the Council had requested developed country Members to submit reports on actions they had taken or planned in pursuance of their commitments under Article 66.2 by the end of October, in order to allow their timely circulation and review at the present meeting. On 22 August 2003, the Secretariat had issued airgram WTO/AIR/2156 to remind developed country Members of this request. To date, the Council had received information from the following developed country Members: Japan; the Czech Republic; Switzerland; the United States; Norway; the European Communities, and the following individual member States: France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain and Sweden. The resulting documentation was being circulated in document IP/C/W/412 and its addenda.
161. As regards the purpose and conduct of the review of this information, the Chairman recalled that paragraph 2 of the Decision explained that the annual review meetings would provide Members with an opportunity to pose questions in relation to the information submitted and request additional information; discuss the effectiveness of the incentives provided in promoting and encouraging technology transfer to least-developed country Members in order to enable them to create a sound and viable technological base; and to consider any points relating to the operation of the reporting procedure established by the Decision.
