62. The representative of the European Communities, commenting on the statement by Hungary, said that a number of important issues had been raised which needed careful reflection so as to allow the multilateral register, which Members would agree to at some stage, to provide for adequate legal effects and to represent a system that was meaningful. For the time being, the proposal made by Japan and the United States did not correspond to this requirement. All Members agreed that a system should be developed with the least possible administrative burdens and, in that respect, he thought that it was an interesting idea to examine whether or not WIPO could play a role in the management of the future system, even if at the present stage Members did not have a consensus as to how the register should look. The reference to Article 3 of the Agreement Between WIPO and the WTO showed that there was an area where both Organizations, despite different memberships, were working together. It would be interesting to obtain more information and to have an analysis of such a possibility. Of course, Members might wish to have a system in the WTO, as they were discussing the issue in the TRIPS Council, but since Members were also keen to avoid duplication of work and to put in place a system which was administratively not costly, examining Hungary's proposal might be worth considering.
