RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/UKR/41/Add.1
22October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4628)
Working Party onthe Original: English
Accession ofUkraine
ACCESSION OFUKRAINE
Additional Questions andReplies
Addendum
TheGovernmental Commission onUkraine 'sAccession totheWTO hasprovided thefollowing
additional replies tothequestions submitted bydelegations following theWorking Party meeting held
on5-6May1997.
_______________
OTHER POLICIES RELATED TOFOREIGN TRADE
Copyright andRelated Rights
Question 1.
Ukrainian legislation needs tobeamended togrant fullretroactive protection ofworks (presently
limited toworks which were released since 1January 1973) andphonograms (noretroactive
protection atall)asforeseen bytheTRIPS Agreement (inArticles 9,14.6inconjunction with
Article 18oftheBern Convention.
Answer:
Seetheanswer toquestion 65(WT/ACC/UKR/41).
Question 2.
Furthermore, Ukraine needs tointroduce theprotection offoreign phonograms along thelines
ofArticle 14oftheTRIPS Agreement which currently doesnotexistatall.
Answer:
Seetheanswer toquestion 65andquestion 73(WT/ACC/UKR/41).
Trademarks andGeographical Indications
Question 3.
Ukrainian legislation doesnotcontain anyprovisions ontheprotection ofgeographical indications
forgoods ingeneral including wines andspirits. Therefore, Ukraine should introduce such
legislation inconformity withArticle 22to24oftheTRIPS Agreement.WT/ACC/UKR/41/Add.1
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Answer:
ThedraftLawofUkraine "OnProtection ofRights toSpecify Geographical Origin ofGoods
(Services)", incorporating provisions ofArticles 22-24 oftheTRIPS Agreement, hasbeensubmitted
totheSupreme Rada ofUkraine.
Seealsothereply toquestion 72(WT/ACC/UKR/41).
Patents
Question 4.
Theprotection ofpatents needs tobebrought intolinewith Articles 2and27to34ofthe
TRIPS Agreement e.g.:
(a) incases of"usewithout theauthorization oftherightholder" most ofthecriteria asset
outinArticle 31oftheTRIPS Agreement isnotincorporated intoUkrainian law
(Articles 24and26oftheLaw ontheProtection ofRights forInventions andUtility
Modes.)
(b) Article 26oftheLawontheProtection ofRights forInventions andUtility Models needs
tobeamended toimplement Article 2.1oftheTRIPS Agreement inconjunction with
Article 5.4oftheParis Convention which provides thatacompulsory license ontheground
ofnot(orinsufficiently )working ofapatent maynotbeapplies "...before theexpiration
ofaperiod offouryears from thedateoffiling ofthepatent application ofthree years
from thedateofthegrant ofthepatent, whichever period expires last;...".Article 26
ofthesaidUkrainian lawspeaks ofaperiod of"...three years starting from thedate
ofinformation publication onpatent 'sissue orfrom thedatewhen useofinvention was
stopped ...".
Answer:
Inouropinion, theeffective LawofUkraine "OntheProtection ofRights inInventions and
Useful Models" ingeneral complies withprovisions oftheParisConvention onProtection ofIndustrial
Property andTRIPS Agreement provisions concerning thegranting ofrights ininventions.
Those requirements oftheTRIPS Agreement which havenotbeencovered intheabove Law
areincorporated intothedraftLawofUkraine "OntheIntroduction ofChanges andAmendments to
theLawofUkraine "OntheProtection ofRights inInventions andUseful Modes".
Inparticular,itconcernstheenforcementofArticle5.4oftheParisConventionontheProtection
ofIndustrial Property, andArticle 2(Clause 1)oftheTRIPS Agreement which regulate thetimeupon
expiration ofwhich alicense maybegranted without thepermission ofthepatent owner incaseof
his/her failure touseorsufficiently usetheinvention.
Please payattention tothefactthattheResolution oftheCabinet ofMinisters ofUkraine "On
theProcedure ofGranting Licenses forUseofPatented Inventions without thePermit ofPatent Owners"
isalsoeffective inUkraine. Itisplanned tointroduce changes andamendments tothesaidResolution
withdueregard toprovisions ofArticle 31oftheTRIPS Agreement.WT/ACC/UKR/41/Add.1
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Lay-out Designs (Topographies) inIntegrated Circuits
Question 5.
Ukrainian legislation does notcontain provisions which meet therequirements contained in
Articles 35to38oftheTRIPS Agreement. TheUkrainian lawsneedtobechanged accordingly.
Answer:
ThedraftLawofUkraine "OntheProtection ofRights inTopologies ofIntegrated Chips"
which incorporates provisions contained inArticles 35-38 oftheTRIPS Agreement hasbeenpassed
inthefirstreading bytheSupreme Rada ofUkraine.
Undisclosed Information
Question 6.
Ukrainian legislation show shortcomings withregard totheprotection ofundisclosed information
(Article 39oftheTRIPS Agreement). Therelevant lawsneedtobeamended, e.g.withregard
to:
(a) thedefinition of(undisclosed information" (Article 39.2, paragraphs (a)to(c)oftheTRIPS
Agreement. Ukrainian lawforesees adetermination bythedirector oftheenterprise
concerned about thequestion ofwhat isasecret);
(b) theprotection oftestorother datesubmitted inthecontext ofthemarketing approval
ofpharmaceuticaloragriculturalchemicalproducts(Article39.3oftheTRIPSAgreement).
Answer:
In1998Ukraine isplanning tocomplete theelaboration ofthedraftLawofUkraine concerning
theprotection ofrights ininformation subject tonon-disclosure. Thisdraft Lawwillincorporate
provisions contained inArticle 38oftheTRIPS Agreement.
Enforcement
Question 7.
TheTRIPS Agreement setsoutdetailed criteria fortheenforcement ofintellectual property rights
forcivilandadministrative procedures, provisional measures, aswellascriminal procedures
(Articles 41to50and61oftheTRIPS Agreement) andborder enforcement (Articles 51to60
oftheTRIPS Agreement). TheUkrainian legislation does notyetcomply with allofthese
provisions, e.g.shortcomings existwithregard tothefollowing rights andobligations:
Article 44oftheTRIPS Agreement, i.e.injunctions toorder aparty todesist form aninfringement
ofanintellectual property right, inter aliatoprevent theentry intothechannels ofcommerce
ofimported goods immediately after customs clearance;
Article 46oftheTRIPS Agreement, remedies tocreate andeffective deterrent toinfringement
(notonlycopyright andrelated rights asunder Ukrainian law), suchastoorder thatinfringing
goods (aswellasrelated materials andimplements) be,without compensation, disposed ofoutside
thechannels ofcommerce insuch amanner astoavoid harm. Furthermore, such infringing
goods may, under certain conditions, bedestroyed;WT/ACC/UKR/41/Add.1
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Article 50.1(a) oftheTRIPS Agreement, provisional measures toprevent infringements andthe
entry intothechannels ofcommerce ofgoods, including imported goods immediately aftercustoms
clearance;
Article 50,paragraph 3to8oftheTRIPS Agreement which contains procedural details inthe
caseoftheadoption ofprovisional measures;
Articles 51to60oftheTRIPS Agreement which provide forthesuspension ofrelease intofree
circulation ofcounterfeit trademark orpirated copyright goods bythecustoms authorities;
Article 61oftheTRIPS Agreement which obliges members toprovide forcriminal procedures
andpenalties notonlywithregard tocopyright piracy (thelatter isprovided byUkrainian law),
butalsoincases ofwilful trademark counterfeiting. Remedies available shall alsoinclude the
seizure, forfeiture anddestruction oftheinfringing goods andofanymaterials andimplements
related thereto.
Answer:
Atpresent inUkraine awide-scale work isdonefortheelaboration ofdrafts ofthenewCivil,
Criminal, Administrative andCustoms Codes, ofwhich provisions should comply withrules and
disciplines accepted intheworld community, including inparticular requirements toprotection
(enforcement) ofintellectual property rights.
Inthisconnection, thesubmission andgathering ofproposals regarding contents ofsections
orarticles oftheabove-mentioned codes, withdueregard torequirements ofArticles 41-61 ofthe
TRIPS havebeenstarted.
Taking intoconsideration thattheprocess ofdrafting andadoption oftheabove-mentioned
Codes bytheSupreme Rada ofUkraine israther long, ithasbeendecided toinclude intodraftLaws
ofUkraine "OntheIntroduction ofChanges andAmendments totheLawofUkraine OntheIntroduction
ofChanges andAmendments totheLawofUkraine OntheProtection ofRights inIndustrial Samples"
and"OntheIntroduction ofChanges andAmendments totheLawofUkraine OnProtection ofSigns
forGoods andServices", articles which would provide forpreliminary (provisional) measures aimed
atimmediate cessation ofviolation ofrights inindustrial objects incompliance withtherequirements
setforth inArticle 50oftheTRIPS Agreement.
Provisions ofthisArticle entitle ajudge, before thecaseisconsidered inacourt, totake
independently adecision ontheimmediate cessation ofaviolation, andtoauthorize sequestration and
withdrawal ofgoods which aresuspected ofhaving beenmanufactured withviolation ofintellectual
orindustrial orproperty owner 'srights.
Theabove draft lawsalsocontain articles concerning civilprotection (enforcement), bya
resolution ofacourt, ofintellectual orindustrial property owner 'srights, inparticular:
- reimbursement fordamages, including profit notreceived;
- withdrawal ofincome received byoffender;
- payment ofcompensation;
- confiscation ofgoods, aswellasmaterials andequipment usedformanufacture thereof, as
wellasother measures.
Criminal measures intheformofimposition ofafineorimprisonment inthecaseofdeliberate
infringement upon rights forcommercial purposes.WT/ACC/UKR/41/Add.1
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Some procedural issues pertaining totheimposition ofprovisional measures described in
Article 50oftheTRIPS Agreement maybecovered byprocedural legislation.
Atpresent anormative actonspecial border measures applied togoods containing intellectual
property objects isbeing drafted incompliance with requirements ofArticles 51-60 ofthe
TRIPS Agreement.