26. The representative of Thailand said his delegation was of the view that the TRIPS Agreement and Article 15 of the CBD should be implemented in a mutually supportive manner. He recalled that Thailand had co-sponsored the Checklist, together with many developing country Members. However, the Checklist needed elaboration and Members had agreed on the need for more focused and structured discussions on this issue. He said that Article 29 of the TRIPS Agreement did not adequately deal with the issue of disclosure and did not make disclosure obligatory. For this reason, many patents had been granted causing serious problems of bio-piracy. He hoped that the communication could be a basis for further exploration of this issue in a more focused and structured manner and could give other Members a better understanding on the rationale behind this obligation.
