Actas - Consejo de los ADPIC - Ver detalles de la intervención/declaración

Ms Irene Young (Hong Kong, China)
Estados Unidos de América
11 TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING
236. The United States is pleased to highlight its report under Article 67 in IP/C/W/632/Add.2 on the technical assistance programmes provided by the US Government concerning the protection, utilization and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks and enforcement for developing and least developed countries. 237. In the past year, our report accounts for more than 145 training, technical assistance, and capacity building programmes for 133 different countries, including developing countries and LDCs. 238. Of these 133 countries, 28 programmes were provided for 24 least developed countries, including Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burundi, Cambodia, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. 239. Technical cooperation to improve IP legal, administrative and enforcement infrastructure is crucial to countries' economic development that is directly linked to contributing to foreign investment and voluntary, private sector-led technology transfer in developing countries and for developing country innovators to capitalize on their creativity. 240. US Government technical assistance is driven by demand and individual priority needs of beneficiary countries. The diversity of needs and interests identified by beneficiary countries results in tailored technical assistance activities on specific areas of interest. 241. We look forward to continued discussions on reports in the Council concerning technical cooperation of governments and IGOs for the strengthening of IP systems. 242. We appreciate the EU's drawing our attention to the recent OECD report and the information it shared on enforcement in response to another Member's inquiry. Customs and transit authority provides an important tool to help prevent the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods into the international market place, given the global scale of trading counterfeit and pirated goods, and the health and safety risks many of these products propose to consumers. We welcome learning about positive steps that Members may be taking to address this issue at all points in the supply chain.
The Council took note of the statements made and agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting.
49. The Chairperson recalled that, at its meeting in June, the Council had agreed to hold the annual review of technical cooperation at the present meeting. Developed country Members had been requested to update information on their technical and financial cooperation activities relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. Other Members who also provided technical cooperation were encouraged to share information on these activities. The Secretariat had issued an airgram, on 4 July 2017, reminding Members of this request. Intergovernmental organizations, which were observers to the Council, and the WTO Secretariat had also been invited to provide information.

50. The Council had received information from: Japan, Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway (IP/C/W/632 and its addenda). The report from the European Union and some of its individual member States and agencies, namely Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as the Community Plant Variety Office had been received shortly before the meeting and was being circulated as an addendum to document IP/C/W/632.

51. The following intergovernmental organizations had also submitted updated information: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), and the World Customs Organization (WCO) (IP/C/W/633 and addenda). Updated information on the WTO Secretariat's own technical cooperation activities in the TRIPS area was available in document IP/C/W/634.

52. The Chairperson said that, since some of the information had been received only very recently, and most of it was, so far, available only in its original language, she intended to provide Members a further opportunity to comment on the information at the Council's next meeting.

53. The representatives of Australia; the United States; Norway; the European Union; Canada; Japan; New Zealand, the WTO Secretariat, ARIPO, the GCC, the WHO, UNCTAD, India, Brazil, and China took the floor.

54. The Chairperson said that the reports by Members and IGO observers provided valuable information about specific activities, as well as the broader policy considerations that were guiding capacity building activities of individual Members and Observers. She encouraged Members to make good use of this resource.

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

IP/C/M/87, IP/C/M/87/Add.1