55. The representative of Chinese Taipei congratulated the Chairman on his election and extended his thanks to Ambassador Tan for her valuable contribution during the past months. He said that his delegation supported the Chairman's three-four-five approach and hoped that it would lead to more practical discussions. On the first two questions regarding the legal consequences of the information in the register, his delegation agreed with New Zealand that it was necessary and useful for Members to exchange information about how their various proposals would be implemented in their domestic systems. In their discussions, Members should bear in mind that the interests of Members who treat other Members' geographical names as generic terms and who export such products to third countries should be given due consideration. This was also in line with the first guiding principle in TN/IP/19, namely that the purpose of the register was to facilitate, not to increase, the protection of GIs for wines and spirits. While the obligation to consult the database under the joint proposal would not affect such interests, it was unclear whether this was also true for the TN/C/W/52 proposal and that was why his delegation would appreciate more discussions on this proposed system.
