WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
4November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4815)
Original: French Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
Supplement
FRANCE
Thepresent document reproduces theupdated information onFrance 'stechnical andfinancial
cooperation activities relevant totheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement.
________________
TheFrench authorities haveengaged intechnical cooperation under theTRIPS Agreement
inthefollowing areas:
- Enforcement (Ministry ofEconomic Affairs andFinance -Secretariat ofthe
Budget-DGDDI);
- copyright andneighbouring rights (Ministry ofCulture -DGA);
- geographical indications andnewplant varieties (Ministry ofAgriculture and
Fisheries-DPE);
- industrial property (National Industrial Property Institute).IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
Page2
1. Technical cooperation activities intheenforcement field
Thefightagainst counterfeiting isamajor focus ofFrench Customs Administration action and,
atthedomestic level, itinvolves training andfurther training ofthepersonnel assigned tothattask.
Thisapproach, which isdesigned toimprove enforcement performance, issupplemented byawareness
activities among international trade operators andusers.
Attheinternational level, action bytheFrench Customs Administration involves:
- Theparticipation ofCustoms Administration officials ininternational events thatafford
anopportunity tomake contacts withourpartners andalsowithoperators whose
activities areaffected bycounterfeit goods;
- theorganization ofinternational cooperation activities intended toenable Customs
Administrations incountries thatsowishtostrengthen theirregulatory andenforcement
arrangements andtotraintheirpersonnel.
1996
Date Topic Participant
9-10October Seminar inMorocco on
counterfeit goodsMrs. Rossell
Section Chief B/4
Type -Value -Origin
12October Mission toGermany Mr.Schoen
Section Chief D/1
Legal Affairs
7-15October International colloquium in
China oncounterfeit goodsMr.Bouy
Office F/3
Excise
3-15October Visit totheDGDDI services
onthetopic ofcounterfeit
goods3Polish officials
1997
Date Topic Participant
12-17 May Mission toRomania onthe
topic ofcounterfeit goods and
French lawEurodouane Mission
French expert
18-20 June Mission toPoland onthe
topic ofintellectual propertyEurodouane Mission
French expertIP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
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2. Technical cooperation activities inthefieldofcopyright andneighbouring rights
Inthefieldofcopyright andneighbouring rights, theFrench Government fullyengages in
technical cooperation onitsowninitiative andbymeans ofasubstantial contribution tothework of
international organizations (WIPO/UNESCO) andtheEuropean Communities.
Thisactionisdirectedatboththedevelopingcountries(particularlytheFrench-speakingcountries
inAfrica) andthetransition countries, withactive cooperation inexchanges ofexperts andreceiving
trainees, moreparticularly under theEuropean Union 'sPHARE/TACIS programmes, andinorganizing
technical training seminars.
Examples include thearrangements bytheMinistry ofCulture andCommunication todefray
thecostofbringing experts fromEstonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Romania andAlbania
toaseminar onidentification andcodification procedures fordigital network transmissions, organized
bytheMinistry ofCulture andCommunication inParis on23-24 April 1997, enabling them atthe
same timetomeetrepresentatives oftheGovernment andprofessional organizations. TheMinistry
alsosentarepresentative, assisted byfourrepresentatives ofprofessionals, totheConference ofAfrican
Ministers ofCulture onPiracy andProtection ofCopyright andRights ofArtists inAfrica, heldin
Abidjan on15-17 April 1997. Lastly, inthefilmindustry theCNC (National Cinematography Centre)
has,withtheFrench-speaking African countries, organized technical evaluation missions, forwhich
experts fromtheLegal Department provide representatives ofthose countries withassistance inlegal
matters pertaining tothecinema.
Furthermore, theMinistry ofCulture andCommunication promotes andcooperates inmany
initiatives(organizingtechnicaltrainingseminars,exchangesofexpertsandreceivingtrainees,onrequest
from WIPO, forexample) taken inthisfield byprofessional bodies andcollective management
companies.
Lastly, theMinistry hashelped tofinance astudy conducted bytheCNRS (National Scientific
Research Centre) onthepreparation ofaFrench-English glossary oncopyright andneighbouring rights,
thedistribution ofwhich should assist thework ofrepresentatives oftheFrench- andEnglish-speaking
countries.
3. Cooperation activities inthefields ofgeographical indications andnewplant varieties
TheMinistryofAgricultureandFisheriestakespartintechnicalcooperationactivitiesconducted
byinternational organizations, particularly WIPO, andthose organized byother French ministerial
departments, more specially inconnection withgeographical indications andnewplant varieties.
TheMinistryinitiatesactivitiesitself.Geographicalindicationsandappellationsoforiginlargely
formpartofagricultural andagro-food technical cooperation andaregenerally thesubject ofbilateral
agreements signed between ministries ofagriculture.
A. Geographical indications
Thefirstnegotiations withRussia concern recognition ofFrench appellations oforigin, and
especially elimination ofthemisappropriation oftheChampagne andCognac appellations. AFranco-
Russian working party hasbeen established tofoster cooperation andatechnical seminar willbe
organized onthissubject in1998.IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
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InthecaseofChina, thepurpose ofasymposium organized inBeijing inOctober 1996 was
toprepare theincorporation oftheappellation oforigin concept intoChinese law,something thatis
under way. Assistance isnowbeing provided tointroduce ageographical indication fortea.
Attherequest ofKorea, Korean officials have been invited toFrance toincorporate the
appellation oforigin concept intoKorean lawandmake itconsistent withtherequirements oftheTRIPS
Agreement.
Technical cooperation withArgentina ontheissue ofmisappropriations ofgeographical
indications andappellations oforigin wasstepped upinthecourse of1996. AnArgentine official
fromtheSecretariatforAgriculture,StockbreedingandFisherieswasgivenlegaltrainingongeographical
indications andappellations oforigin andtheirrecognition andprotection inFrance. Aseminar was
alsoheldinAugust 1997 inadairy products region anditalsodiscussed thesubject ofappellations
oforigin, particularly misappropriation oftheRoquefort appellation oforigin.
Theintroduction ofaprocess ofcooperation intheagricultural sector attherequest ofChile
afforded anopportunity togofurther intotheissue ofmisappropriations ofappellations oforigin.
Amission wasinvited toFrance from VietNam foraweek intheSpring of1997, soasto
acquire agrasp ofthetechnical andeconomic issues tiedinwithmanagement ofappellations oforigin
ofwines andspirits andthecampaign waged against misappropriations.
B. Newplant varieties
France isamember oftheInternational Union fortheProtection ofNewVarieties ofPlants
(UPOV).
TheMinistryofAgricultureandFisheriessupportscooperationandtechnicalassistanceactivities
tohelpincertification andtheintroduction oftechnical protection criteria forplant varieties
(differentiation, homogeneity, stability) insome countries. Activities ofthiskindhavebeencarried
outin:
- Russia;
- Turkey;
- India;
- Argentina;
- VietNam.
Inaddition, Morocco hasbeengiven assistance indrafting itslawonaccession totheUPOV.
Aseminar inFrench-speaking Africa (Burkina Faso) willbeheldnextAutumn toprovide
assistance inplant seedprotection inAfrica.
4. Technical cooperation activities inthefieldofindustrial property
1. Training activities
Anumber ofcourses arearranged every yearforofficials from developing countries.IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
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TheCEIPI, Strasbourg
TheInternational Industrial Property Studies Centre (CEIPI) isaspecialist training centre that
forms partoftheStrasbourg LawandEconomics Faculty andgives courses onindustrial property law,
withtraining onmarks anddesigns, patents andfranchising.
They include:
- Either intensive two-week industrial property training courses. These areintended
fornationals fromdeveloping countries andareorganized incollaboration withWIPO.
They arefunded almost entirely bytheINPI(National Industrial Property Institute).
Candidates areselected incooperation withWIPO. Since 1978, when thisintensive
training wasstarted, more than30candidates havebeenselected every year, including
three orfourwithfellowships awarded bySwitzerland, Great Britain orSweden.
Among the30trainees financed bytheINPI, tenFrench speakers areagain chosen
foratwo-week practical course withtheINPI.
Todatenearly 600officials from developing countries havebeentrained, including
150officials whohaveattended apractical course attheNational Industrial Property
Institute. TheCEIPI-Developing Countries Seminar isheldinParis (in1997 itwill
befrom 29September to10October).
- Orlonger training, lasting three tosixmonths, andalsointended forofficials from
developing countries. Thesubsistence allowance maybepaidbytheINPI andthe
office oforigin paysthetravel costs.
From January through June1997, twoofficials fromtheBrazilian Industrial Property
Institute, twofrom theVietnamese Office, onefromtheChinese Trademarks Office
andonefrom theChinese Standardization Office were trained attheCEIPI inthe
trademarks anddesigns course.
From October 1997 tomid-January 1998, oneengineer fromtheBrazilian Industrial
Property Institute willattend theCEIPI patents course.
TheCAVILAM, Vichy
Fortwoyears nowanadvanced French language training course hasbeengiven byaspecialized
institute (CAVILAM inVichy) forsome nationals ofCISmember States andnewStates inEastern
Europe (Kazakstan, Armenia, Moldova, Latvia, Slovakia, Belarus, Ukraine, theKyrgyz Republic,
Lithuania).
Thepurpose topermit theuseofFrench asaprocedural language under theprovisions ofthe
Madrid Agreement concerning theInternational Registration ofMarks.
Every year, twoorthree nationals from these States follows athree-month course. Inthis
connection, theINPI awards afullfellowship (subsistence, studies andcostoftravel).
From October through December 1997, theINPIwillbepaying foranational from eachof
thefollowing countries: Uzbekistan, Estonia andGeorgia, aswellastwoofficials fromtheBrazilian
Institute.IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
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2. Courses attheINPI
DelegationsfromofficesindevelopingcountriescometoFranceeveryyearontechnicalmissions
forvarying periods, depending onthesubject (twodaystotwoweeks).
Inthese visits, thelogistics maybearranged byWIPO ortheEPO. They arethenfunded
bytheorganizations concerned.
TheINPImaypaythesubsistence costs foravisittoFrance lasting fivedaystotwoweeks.
Thisisthecasewithofficials from theAfrican Intellectual Property Organization (AIPO).
TheAIPO covers theFrench-speaking States inSub-Saharan Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Côted'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and
Togo). Every year, fourofficials fromthenational industrial property offices inthose States andfrom
theAIPO itselfaretrained attheINPI, either inthevarious procedures (trademarks, patents, designs)
orinother fields suchastechnical documentation ordatabase management.
Inthisconnection, theINPIwillbereceiving twoofficials fromCameroon, onefromtheCôte
d'Ivoire office andonefrom another AIPO member country inSeptember andNovember 1997.
Lastly, foreign delegations ofoneormore persons, representing either national offices or
professional associations, come tolearn about theINPI'sactivities, andalsoabout thetypes offiling
andissuing procedures andimplementation ofindustrial property rights (visits toother authorities
concerned, particularly theCustoms andthespecialized chambers oftheParis Court ofAppeal, may
alsobeorganized).
Onaverage, theINPI receives more than200foreign officials every year.
3. Expert missions
- With WIPO:
Many cooperation activities areconducted inclose collaboration withWIPO:
These aregenerally seminars heldmainly inAfrica andsometimes inAsiaandLatin America
(towhich English-speaking French experts areinvited).
- With theEPO:
Collaboration withtheEPO-eventhough itisnotonthesame scaleaswithWIPO -hasbeen
stepped upinthecontext ofcooperation withthedeveloping countries. Thishasbeenmade easier
asaresult oftheactivities theEuropean Union wants toundertake inSouth-East AsiaandinEastern
Europe.
TheEPOusually looks afterthelogistics.
TheINPIhascollaborated withtheEPOinorganizing anumber ofactivities sinceJanuary 1997:
- Aseminar onappellations oforigin inSlovakia;
- amission onmarks andappellations oforigin inGeorgia andArmenia;IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.3
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- aroving industrial property seminar intheASEAN countries, withoneoftheevents
heldinParis.
Thefollowing arescheduled fortheremainder of1997:
- Twopharmaceuticals seminars inMorocco;
- aroving awareness seminar onindustrial property inMorocco;
- aseminar onindustrial property andimplementation ofintellectual property rights in
VietNam;
- aseminar onappellations oforigin withtheECAP programme inParis (late1997or
early 1998);
- anindustrial property andtechnical documentation seminar inChina;
- aseminar onsemiconductor topographies andintegrated circuits inthePhilippines;
- astudy visittotheINPI forofficials from theVietnamese office.
- With theAIPO:
Forabouttwomonthseveryyear,twoexpertsfromtheINPImakeanassessmentoffournational
liaison facilities withAIPO. Theexperts mayalsoengage inon-the-spot training fornewofficials,
andparticularly documentalists.
InApril andMay1997, anassessment wasmade oftheliaison facilities inCôted'Ivoire, Chad
andCameroon.