Ambassador Mero (United Republic of Tanzania)

Consejo de Cooperación del Golfo (CCG)

11 Technical Cooperation and Capacity-Building

344. Let me first recall that the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretariat General is coordinating the member States common work on intellectual property, including the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement and the follow-up of the various common efforts made to comply with national laws in the various IP fields as well as with the international agreements. 345. As far as technical cooperation is concerned, the GCC Secretariat General is acting through its WTO Department, the GCC patent Office (GCCPO) and the GCC Intellectual Property Training Centre (IPTC) to provide the GCC member States, on a demand-driven basis with various legal consultancy and technical assistance. 346. The WTO Department, created as part of the GCC Secretariat General structure to follow up and coordinate WTO affairs, is called for providing legal consultancy and specialized workshops as technical assistance to the responsible administrations and officials in the GCC member States, including in the field of the TRIPS Agreement. 347. In this regard, the WTO Department intends this year to conduct a Workshop on ''the TRIPS Agreement and its implications for the GCC member States'' to be held from 21-24 November 2016 in Manama, Bahrain. This event will be organized for the benefit of officials in charge of IP issues in the GCC member States and other concerned responsibles in the GCC Secretariat General. The Workshop is designed to explain the TRIPS Agreement, its implementations for the GCC member States and the impact of the enforcement of its rules and mechanisms on trade and investment in the region. 348. In the framework of building practical linkages and dialogue with regional organizations as high priority for its programme of regional trade policy capacity building, the WTO Secretariat has invited kindly the GCC Secretariat General to contribute to the Trade Policy Course organized by the WTO in Muscat, Oman, later this year, through a presentation on the GCC work in the field of intellectual property, and the GCC Patent Office activities in particular. Thus, it is for us a big honour and great pleasure that the GCC will take part in such important programme of technical cooperation and capacity building conducted by the WTO Secretariat. 349. In addition to its role as a regional patent office for implementing GCC Patent Law, the GCC Patent Office has built a mutual cooperation programme with GCC national patent offices with the aim of conducting various activities on technical assistance and developing capacities in the field of patents, as well as enhancing their ability to contribute to the enforcement of patents in the GCC member States. 350. In this context, the GCCPO has conducted during 2016, for employees of the GCC Patent Office and national IP Offices, three training courses on ''Substantive Examination Procedure'' in cooperation with the Egyptian Patent Office and the State Intellectual Property Office of China, in preliminary, advanced and on-job levels, in the GCC headquarters (Riyadh) respectively on 13 17 March 2016, 20–24 March 2016 and 24–28 April 2016. 351. The GCCPO has also organized in cooperation with WIPO two Workshops in the GCC headquarters (Riyadh). The first one on ''Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)'' was held from 25 26 May 2016, with the aim of familiarizing the participants with the various aspects of the PCT, while the second, held from 16th to 20th October 2016, focused on ''Patent drafting'' for the benefit of officials of the GCC Patent Office and national IP Offices. 352. In addition the GCCPO organized in cooperation with Boehmert and Boehmert a training programme for the benefit of the GCCPO Grievance Committee on "litigation system in European Patent Office and German Patent Office" held in the headquarter of the GCC Intellectual Property Centre" in Kuwait on 29-31 August 2016. 353. The GCCPO is also intending to organize very soon two workshops, one in cooperation with WIPO on ''Examination work sharing program: the benefits of published search results'' to be held in Riyadh from 6 to 10 November 2016, for officials of the GCC Patent Office and national IP Offices, and the second in Abu Dhabi on 10 November 2016 on ''Creativity and Innovation'' for the benefit of officials concerned in the GCC member States. 354. On the other hand, the GCCPO has participated in ''the Middle East International Exhibition of Inventions'' which was held in Kuwait from 16 to 19 November 2015. The participation of the GCCPO in this exhibition included granting an yearly award of 50,000 SAR to the GCC inventors in addition to supporting their participation. 355. The GCCPO has supported also inventors from the GCC member States those taken part in ''the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions '' held on 13 – 17 April 2016, where the GCC Patent office along with inventors from the GCC member States have opened up doors of communication with those concerned in Europe and the world.

The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

57. The Chairman recalled that, at its meeting in June 2016, the Council had agreed to hold its annual review of technical cooperation at this meeting. In preparation for this annual review, developed country Members had been once more requested to update information on their technical and financial cooperation activities relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in time for this meeting. Other Members who also made available technical cooperation had been encouraged to share information on these activities. The Secretariat had issued on 7 July 2016 an Airgram (WTO/AIR/IP/9) reminding Members of this request. In addition, intergovernmental organizations observers to the Council as well as the WTO Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.

58. To date, the Council had received information from the following developed country Members: Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, the United States and New Zealand, circulated in document IP/C/W/617 and addenda. The report submitted by the European Union and individual member States, namely Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, had been made available as a room document on documents online and would also be circulated as an addendum to document IP/C/W/617. The Council had also received information on relevant technical cooperation activities from Mexico, circulated in document IP/C/W/615.

59. Updated information had been submitted by the following intergovernmental organizations: the FAO, UNCTAD, the OECD, the GCC, WHO, ARIPO, WCO and WIPO, circulated in document IP/C/W/614 and addenda. In addition, a report from UPOV had been received shortly before the meeting and would also be made available as an addendum to document IP/C/W/614. Updated information on the WTO Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area was available in document IP/C/W/618.

60. The Chairman said that these reports provided very valuable information both as regards details of specific activities, but also the broader policy considerations that were guiding capacity building activities of individual Members and Observers. Much of this resource remained largely untapped which might be due to the amount of information provided and the way in which this was done. In order to promote awareness and transparency, the Secretariat had repeatedly suggested that the information about specific activities be reported in table format. It had provided regular updates with respect to its work aimed at identifying ways of facilitating the submission, processing and circulation of information on technical assistance.

61. The representatives of Australia, Mexico, the United States and Colombia took the floor.

62. The representative of the Secretariat took the floor.

63. The representatives of ARIPO, the GCC, WHO and UNCTAD took the floor.

64. Since some of the information had been received only very recently, and most of it was available only in its original language, the Chairman said that he would provide Members an opportunity at the next meeting to make further comments on the information.

65. The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.

IP/C/M/83, IP/C/M/83/Add.1