WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONTN/IP/W/4/Add.1
27 November 2002
(02-6561)
Council for Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property RightsSpecial Session
MULTILATERAL NOTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION SYSTEMS
Note by the Secretariat
Addendum
THE WTO CENTRAL REGISTRY OF NOTIFICATIONS (CRN)
1. This addendum supplements the information contained in document TN/IP/W/4,
paragraphs 3-4, and in Annexes 1 and 2 of that document by providing information on the WTO
Central Registry of Notifications (CRN).
2. The CRN was established in 1995 pursuant to the Decision on Notification Procedures,
adopted by Ministers at Marrakesh (see the Annex to this document).  According to its Preamble, the
Decision is aimed at improving the operation of notification procedures under the WTO MultilateralTrade Agreements and, where applicable, the Plurilateral Trade Agreements, and thereby at
contributing to the transparency of Members' trade policies and the effectiveness of surveillance
arrangements established to that end.
3. The CRN is a WTO computer database which records all regular notifications received by the
Organization from Members and records descriptive information on each notification submitted.Regular notifications are those for which the Secretariat is able to determine that an obligation exists
to notify certain information within a given period.  References to documents can be retrieved from
the CRN by means of specific searches, e.g., by the requirement under which the notification was
made or by Member.
4. Pursuant to the terms set out in the above-mentioned Ministerial Decision, the following are
the main characteristics of the CRN and the way that it is used:
- the CRN records such elements of the information provided on the measure by the
Member concerned as its purpose, its trade coverage, and the requirement under
which it has been notified;
- the CRN records for each notification cross-references by Member and obligation;This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own
responsibility and without prejudice to the positions of Members
and to their rights and obligations under the WTO.TN/IP/W/4/Add.1
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- the administrator of the CRN informs each Member annually of the regular
notification obligations to which that Member will be expected to respond in the
course of the following year;
- the administrator of the CRN further draws the attention of individual Members to
regular notification requirements which remain unfulfilled;
- information in the CRN regarding individual notifications is made available on
request to any Member entitled to receive the notification concerned.
5. Presently, the CRN is an internal WTO computer database;  it is not yet directly accessible to
Members.  Members wishing to use the database can do so through the administrator of the CRN.  Itis foreseen that the CRN will be incorporated in the near future in the WTO Documents Online , and
thus become directly accessible to Members.
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ANNEX
DECISION ON NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES1
Ministers decide  to recommend adoption by the Ministerial Conference of the decision on
improvement and review of notification procedures set out below.
Members,Desiring  to improve the operation of notification procedures under the Agreement
Establishing the World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and
thereby to contribute to the transparency of Me mbers' trade policies and to the effectiveness of
surveillance arrangements established to that end;
Recalling  obligations under the WTO Agreement to publish and notify, including obligations
assumed under the terms of specific protocols of accession, waivers, and other agreements entered
into by Members;
Agree  as follows:
I. General obligation to notify
Members affirm their commitment to obligations under the Multilateral Trade Agreements
and, where applicable, the Plurilateral Trade Agreements, regarding publication and notification.
Members recall their undertakings set out in  the Understanding Regarding Notification,
Consultation, Dispute Settlement and Survei llance adopted on 28 November 1979 (BISD 26S/210).
With regard to their undertaking therein to notify, to the maximum extent possible, their adoption of
trade measures affecting the operation of GATT 1994, such notification itself being without prejudice
to views on the consistency of measures with or th eir relevance to rights and obligations under the
Multilateral Trade Agreements and, where applicable, the Plurilateral Trade Agreements, Members
agree to be guided, as appropriate, by the annexed list of measures.  Members therefore agree that theintroduction or modification of such measures is subject to the notification requirements of the
1979 Understanding.
II. Central registry of notifications
A central registry of notifications shall be established under the responsibility of the
Secretariat.  While Members will continue to follow existing notification procedures, the Secretariat
shall ensure that the central registry records such elements of the information provided on the measure
by the Member concerned as its purpose, its trade coverage, and the requirement under which it has
been notified.  The central registry shall cross-reference its records of notifications by Member andobligation.
The central registry shall inform each Member annually of the regular notification obligations
to which that Member will be expected to respond in the course of the following year.
                                                     
1 "The Legal Texts, The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations", World
Trade Organization 1999, pages 388-390.TN/IP/W/4/Add.1
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The central registry shall draw the attention of individual Members to regular notification
requirements which remain unfulfilled.
Information in the central registry regarding individual notifications shall be made available
on request to any Member entitled to receive the notification concerned.
III. Review of notification obligations and procedures
The Council for Trade in Goods will undertake a review of notification obligations and
procedures under the Agreements in Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement.  The review will be carried
out by a working group, membership in which will be open to all Members.  The group will be
established immediately after the date of entry into force of the WTO Agreement.
The terms of reference of the working group will be:- to undertake a thorough review of all existing notification obligations of Members
established under the Agreements in Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement, with a viewto simplifying, standardizing and consolidating these obligations to the greatest extent
practicable, as well as to improving compliance with these obligations, bearing in
mind the overall objective of improving the transparency of the trade policies of
Members and the effectiveness of surveillance arrangements established to this end,
and also bearing in mind the possible need of some developing country Members forassistance in meeting their notification obligations;
- to make recommendations to the Council for Trade in Goods not later than two years
after the entry into force of the WTO Agreement.
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ANNEX
INDICATIVE LIST1 OF NOTIFIABLE MEASURES
Tariffs (including range and scope of bindings, GSP provisions, rates applied to members of
free-trade areas/customs unions, other preferences)
Tariff quotas and surchargesQuantitative restrictions, including voluntary export restraints and orderly marketing arrangements
affecting imports
Other non-tariff measures such as licensing and mixing requirements;  variable leviesCustoms valuation
Rules of origin
Government procurementTechnical barriersSafeguard actionsAnti-dumping actions
Countervailing actions
Export taxesExport subsidies, tax exemptions and concessionary export financingFree-trade zones, including in-bond manufacturingExport restrictions, including voluntary export restraints and orderly marketing arrangementsOther government assistance, including subsidies, tax exemptions
Role of state-trading enterprises
Foreign exchange controls related to imports and exportsGovernment-mandated countertradeAny other measure covered by the Multilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 1A to the WTO
Agreement
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1 This list does not alter existing notification requirements in the Multilateral Trade Agreements in
Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement or, where applicable, the Plurilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 4 of theWTO Agreement.