17. The representative of Argentina endorsed the comments made by the previous speakers. She said that the proposal effectively met what the majority of Members hoped to see in a system in the WTO context as well as under the mandate of Article 23.4. It basically maintained intact the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement as well as the principles of intellectual property and of the WTO. In other words, this proposal did not create additional obstacles or barriers to the legitimate trade in wines and spirits. With regard to the main characteristics of the system described by Chile and which were relevant to developing and least developed countries, she said that this system would entail minimal costs, would be voluntary, and would not create any new obligations regarding the protection of geographical indications, including enforcement.
