See also:
> WTO Agreements and Public Health — A joint study by WHO and the WTO Secretariat

TRIPS news  back to top

News about the TRIPS Council and intellectual property in the WTO, prepared for non-specialists.

> Follow specific TRIPS issues, e.g: TRIPS and health; geographical indications; protection for plants and animals, traditional knowledge and biodiversity; etc. See below.

Intellectual property rights and the TRIPS Agreement  back to top

What are intellectual property rights?
Intellectual property rights are the rights given to people over the creations of their minds.

Basic introduction to the WTO’s intellectual property (TRIPS) agreement
From “Understanding the WTO”, an introduction to the WTO, written for non-specialists.

A more detailed overview of the TRIPS Agreement
“The TRIPS Agreement ... is to date the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property ...”

The text of the TRIPS Agreement 
Browse or download from the legal texts gateway.
The TRIPS Agreement is Annex 1C of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.

Other intellectual property conventions that the TRIPS Agreement refers to:
The Paris Convention, Berne Convention, Rome Convention, and treaty on integrated circuits.

Find decisions of WTO bodies concerning the TRIPS Agreement in the Analytical Index — Guide to WTO Law and Practice

Frequently-asked questions on TRIPS
Check to see if the answers to your questions are in one of these.

Videos on TRIPS

Specific TRIPS issues  back to top

News and explanations of some current TRIPS issues.

TRIPS and public health 

• Gateway page: Intellectual property and public health, including news, and explanations
    
• Dedicated notifications page: Dedicated webpage on the decision of 30 August 2003, with details of notifications

Geographical indications

Article 27.3(b), protection for plants and animals, traditional knowledge and biodiversity

Non-violation complaints (Article 64.2)

Technology transfer

TRIPS work in the WTO  back to top

Work of the TRIPS Council
The TRIPS Council administers the TRIPS Agreement. It consists of all WTO members.
Follow the link above to search for minutes of the council’s meetings, its reports to the WTO General Council, and other TRIPS Council documents.

TRIPS Council “special sessions”
These are for negotiations on a multilateral system for notifying and registering geographical indications for wines and spirits, under the Doha Development Agenda.
Follow the link above to search for minutes of the meetings, reports and other documents from the negotiations.

Notifications under the TRIPS Agreement
The TRIPS Council monitors the operation of the agreement and promotes transparency by receiving notifications from members.

Review of members’ implementing legislation
Members have to notify the TRIPS Council about their relevant laws and regulations. This helps the Council review the agreement’s operation.

Technical cooperation in the TRIPS area
In particular, developed countries’ commitments under the TRIPS Agreement on technical cooperation, and the work of the TRIPS Council in this area.

Disputes  back to top

Disputes concerning the TRIPS Agreement
Disputes arising from the obligations under the TRIPS Agreement are subject to the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures.

History: derestricted Uruguay Round negotiating documents on TRIPS  back to top

On 15 May 2006, the General Council decided to make public all official documents issued under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). This includes all official documents on TRIPS and other areas of the Uruguay Round negotiations. Information on how to access these documents can be found here.

As an alternative for TRIPS scholars, posted here in response to numerous requests, are the official documents on the subject from the 1986–94 Uruguay Round trade talks. They give scholars a picture of how the TRIPS Agreement came about. The documents include reports of meetings, other materials compiled by the GATT Secretariat, and communications from participants in the negotiations.

Cooperation with other intergovernmental organizations  back to top

See also:
> Observers in the TRIPS Council

• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

• Other organizations

• Regional organizations