WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONIP/C/W/203/Add.1
13 September 2000
(00-3542)
Council for Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property RightsOriginal:  English
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
SWITZERLAND
Addendum
The present document reproduces the updated information on Switzerland's technical and
financial cooperation activities relevant to the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement, which was
received from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland on 4 September 2000.
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Following documents IP/C/W/12/Add.3 of 13 September 1995, IP/C/W/34/Add.2 of
17 September 1996, IP/C/W/77/Add.3 of 30 September 1997, IP/C/W/109/Add.1 of
4 September 1998 and IP/C/W/154/Add.2 of 8 October 1999 in which much of the description of the
aims and organizational aspects of technical cooperation remains relevant, this report describes the
activities of the Federal Institute of Intellectual Property ("Institute") in the field of technical
cooperation between 1 October 1999 and 31 August 2000.1  Drafted along the same lines as the
preceding reports, this document draws a distinction between multilateral activities and purelybilateral activities.  It should be recalled that the concern of the Swiss authorities is to ensure optimum
coordination of available resources, both at the multilateral and bilateral levels, while avoiding
duplication or overlapping of programmes.
I. MULTILATERAL ACTIVITIES
1. Technical cooperation in the framewor k of the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO)
(a) Annual basic training programme at the WIPO
From 6 September to 22 October 1999, two experts from Benin and Gabon
 were able to
benefit, in the framework of the annual basic training programme, from a two-month training course
which was held in three successive stages:  at the WIPO in Geneva, at the CEIPI (Centre d’Études
Internationales de la Propriété Industrielle) in Strasbourg, and at the Institute in Berne.  The
programme at the Institute covered the entire field of intellectual property, focusing, in particular, on
patents, trademarks and industrial designs.  Emphasis was put on the practical, administrative andorganizational work (for example, the trainees we re invited to participate in the brainstorming
sessions of trademark examiners).  As in the past, the Swiss Federal Agency for Development and
                                                     
1 (Unless otherwise indicated.)IP/C/W/203/Add.1
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Cooperation of the Federal Department (Ministry) for Foreign Affairs financed the entire programme.
Costs related to teaching and to guidance of the experts in Berne were covered by the Institute.
From 29 August to 20 October 2000, two experts from Burkina Faso and Chad  will receive
the same kind of training.(b) Information and/or training visits
At the request of the WIPO, the Institute received delegations from the following countries:
1. African and Arab countries:  On 10 November 1999, a delegation of participants to the WIPO
Academy Session in French visited the Institute for a presentation on trademark, patent and copyright
matters. Participants consisted of senior officials from Algeria, Angola , Benin , Burkina Faso ,
Cameroon, the Central African Republic , Chad , Côte d’Ivoire , Djibouti , Gabon , Guinea , Haiti ,
Lebanon, Madagascar , Morocco , Mauritania , Niger , Rwanda , Senegal , Togo , Tunisia .  The visit was
conducted within the framework of the WIPO A cademy Session in French held in Geneva from
8 to 12 November 1999.
2. African, Arab, Asian and Pacific countries:  On 25 November 1999, a delegation consisting of
journalists from various countries visited the Institute for a presentation on  status and structure of the
Institute and on trademark, patent and copyright matters.  The visit was conducted within the
framework of a seminar organized by the WIPO to sensitize journalists of the importance of theintellectual property system and its link to economic, social and cultural development.
3. Islamic Republic of Iran:  From 1 to 3 December 1999, an expert from the Islamic Republic
of Iran visited the Institute to study the impl ementation of the automation system needed for
registration of trademarks and patents.
4. Arab countries:  On 16 February 2000, a delegation of participants to the WIPO Academy
Session for Arab Countries visited the Institute for a presentation on trademark, patent, industrial
design and copyright matters.  The presentation focused on the Swiss system of protection and
administration of intellectual property rights.  Participants were senior officials from  Algeria,
Bahrain, Djibouti , Egypt , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Mauritania , Morocco , Oman ,
the Palestinian National Authority, Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Syria , Sudan , Tunisia , the United Arab
Emirates, Yemen , the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) , the League of Arab States .  The visit was
conducted within the framework of the WIPO Acad emy Session for Arab Countries held in Geneva
from 14 to 18 February 2000.
5. Asian and Pacific countries:  On 15 March 2000, a delegation of participants to the WIPO
Academy Session in English visited the Institute for a presentation by the Patent, Trademark and
Copyright Divisions.  The presentation focused on the Swiss system of protection and administration
of intellectual property rights and a presentation of the archives.  Participants consisted of seniorofficials from Bangladesh, Bhutan
, Brunei Darussalam , Cambodia , China , the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea, Fiji , India , Indonesia , the Islamic Republic of Iran , Lao People's Democratic
Republic, Malaysia , Malta , Mongolia , Nepal , Pakistan , Papua New Guinea , the Philippines , Samoa ,
Sri Lanka, Thailand , Trinidad and Tobago , Viet Nam .  The visit was conducted within the framework
of the WIPO Academy Session in English held in Geneva from 13 to 17 March 2000.
6. Democratic People's Republic of Korea:  On 31 May 2000, the Director General of the
Invention Office of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea visited the Institute for a presentation
on patent matters.
7. Russian Federation:  On 8 June 2000, a delegation consisting of senior officials from the
Russian Agency for Patents and Trademarks (ROSPATENT) visited the Institute for a presentation byIP/C/W/203/Add.1
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the Copyright Division.  The presentation dealt with the Swiss Law on Copyright and Neighbouring
Rights as well as the tasks of the Institute's Copyright Division and the supervision of collecting
societies.
(c) Participation in seminars and courses
Singapore:  From 9 to 18 November 1999, a representative from the Institute's International
Affairs Division participated in the Joint Training Course for Asia and the Pacific Region on
Intellectual Property and Technopreneurship organized by the Government of Singapore and the
WIPO.  She delivered four presentations:  (1) Th e commercial and industrial value of intellectual
property rights (IPRs);  (2) The national intellectual property system, the Swiss experience;
(3) Protecting inventions;  and (4) Acquiring technology through the intellectual property system.
Benin:  From 18 to 21 January 2000, a representative from the Institute's International Affairs
Division participated in the Seminar organized by the WIPO in cooperation with the Government of
Benin and the African Intellectual Property Organi sation (OAPI).  She delivered two presentations on
the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement for magistrates, police services and custom officers from
French-speaking African Countries.
(d) Free-of-charge searches on the state of the art for the WIPO in favour of developing countries
Between 1 July 1999 and 31 June 2000, the Institute conducted, upon the request of the
WIPO, free-of-charge searches on the state of the art for the following countries (the searches were
financed through the Institute's ordinary budget):
Country Number of searches
Algeria 1
Chile 44
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 4
Côte d’Ivoire 1
Cuba 2
Dominican Republic 1Jamaica 1
Morocco 2
Mexico 5
OAU (Organization of African Unity) 1
Senegal 3
Togo 2
Trinidad and Tobago 10Yemen 1
Total 78 searchesIP/C/W/203/Add.1
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2. Technical cooperation in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
On 13 April 2000, a representative of the Institute's International Affairs Division gave a
speech on the application of the TRIPS Agreement in national law, enforcement and border measures.
Participants included experts from Albania, Armenia , Croatia , Estonia , Georgia , the  Kyrgyz Republic,
Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation . On the same occasion, a presentation
was made on patents and undisclosed information under the relevant provisions of the TRIPSAgreement by a representative from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), Federal
Department (Ministry) of Economy .
II. BILATERAL ACTIVITIES
1. Russian Federation:  On 18 February 2000, representatives of the Legal Service of the
Ministry of Atomic Energy visited the Institute for a presentation by the Patent and Copyright
Divisions.  The presentation focused on copyright, patent and industrial design matters.
2. Socialist Republic of Viet Nam:  The Agreement on the Protection of Intellectual Property
and Co-operation in the Field of Intellectual Property signed by Switzerland and the Socialist
Republic of Viet Nam entered into force on 8 June 2000.  A representative from the Institute's
International Affairs Division with a representative from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
(seco) of the Federal Department (Ministry) of Ec onomy and an external expert were on a mission in
Viet Nam from 13 to 22 March 2000 to evaluate the needs of Viet Nam in the field of this special
programme of cooperation.  A project plan of three years was prepared and awaits approval by the
Vietnamese Authority.
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