WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.2
28October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4707)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
Supplement
UNITED KINGDOM
Thepresent document reproduces theupdated information ontheUnited Kingdom 'stechnical
andfinancial cooperation activities relevant totheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement.
United Kingdom technical cooperation inthefieldofintellectual property rights in1996/7 is
discussed below andsummarised intheattached table. Thisinformation demonstrates thevariety of
services provided andthespread ofbeneficiaries.
Details ofsome oftheactivities undertaken in1996/1997
(a) African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Conference
From 24to27March 1997, theUKPatent Office hosted aconference formembers andpotential
members ofARIPO. TheConference wasjointly funded bytheUKPatent Office andWIPO.
UKPatent Office staffaddressed theconference onarange ofintellectual property issues
including theTRIPS Agreement andtheoperation oftheTRIPS Council, design lawandtheMadrid
Protocol.
Representatives ofthefollowing members andpotential members ofARIPO attended:
Members Potential Members
Botswana Sierra Leone Mauritius
Gambia Sudan Mozambique
Ghana Swaziland Namibia
Kenya Tanzania Seychelles
Lesotho Uganda South Africa
Malawi Zimbabwe EthiopiaIP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.2
Page2
(b) TheEU/EPO ASEAN Project (Association ofSouth EastAsian Nations)
Thisthree-year project, which focuses onthepatent field, isfunded bytheEuropean Union
andadministered bytheEuropean Patent Office withthesalary costs ofUKstaffborne bytheUK
Patent Office. In1996/7 theUKPatent helped intheimplementation ofIPawareness programmes
inalltheASEAN countries byproducing anintroductory video onallaspects ofIP.Afirstversion
wasprepared andshown totheintellectual property offices andother interested parties, during visits
toseveral ASEAN countries. Recently afilmteam, supervised bytheUKPatent Office, visited
Singapore toshoot material tomeetgapsintheregional coverage ofthefirstversion. Copies ofthe
video willbedistributed toallASEAN countries shortly.
(c) Introductory training course oncopyright andneighbouring rights
AnIntroductory Training Course onCopyright andNeighbouring Rights washeldinLondon
on14-25 October 1996. Thecourse, which wassimilar tooneheldintheUKin1993, wasfunded
bytheUKPatent Office inconjunction withtheBritish Copyright Council andWIPO. TheUKwill
behosts toafurther course thisyear.
Representatives fromthefollowing countries participated intheIntroductory Training Course:
Argentina Jamaica
Barbados Lesotho
China Nigeria
Gambia Philippines
Ghana Republic ofKorea
India Tanzania
Indonesia Trinidad andTobago
Uganda
(d) Turkey
Inthespring of1997(28 April -2May), theTrade Marks Directorate oftheUKPatent Office
provided asenior officer totheTurkish Trade Marks Registry. Thepurpose ofthevisitwastoprovide
training andadvice tothestaffoftheTurkish Patent Institute on:
(i) theexamination ofapplications fortheregistration ofmarks, including examination
astodistinctiveness andpossible conflicts between applications forservice marks and
prior rights, inparticular trade marks registered forgoods, wellknown marks and
emblems communicated under Article 6teroftheParis Convention;
(ii) theNiceandVienna Agreements andtheirimplementation;
(iii) theadministration ofservice marks;
(iv) theEuropean Community trade mark system.IP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.2
Page3
UKINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN1996/97
(Main Items)
DATE PURPOSE VENUEBENEFITTING
COUNTRYSPONSOR
1996
4-6Sept Visit byanofficial from Trinidad and
TobagoUKPatent
OfficeTrinidad and
TobagoWIPO
12Sept Visit bydelegation from Romania UKPatent
OfficeRomania Private
17Sept Study visitbyofficials from Thailand UKPatent
OfficeThailand Private
23Sept Training seminar -Management and
administration oftheUKTrade
Marks Act1994.UKPatent
OfficeMacau UK-Macau
IPR
Programme
24Sept Visit bytheCypriot Registrar of
Companies andOfficial Receiver to
learn about computerisation and
search procedures.UKPatent
OfficeCyprus Private
30Sept Visit byaMinister from Trinidad and
Tobago todiscuss "money and
automation."UKPatent
OfficeTrinidad and
TobagoPrivate
1-11Oct Visit bytwoofficials from Hong
Kong, China tostudy LawSection
andhearing procedures, and
examination andtraining for
examiners. Trade Marks only.UKPatent
OfficeHong Kong,
ChinaPrivate
7-9Oct Study visittoTrade Marks
DirectorateUKPatent
OfficeBulgaria Private
14-25 Oct Copyright Training Course UKPatent
Office15developing
countriesWIPO/BCC/UK
Patent Office
24/25 Oct Study visitbyMexican officials UKPatent
OfficeMexico WIPO
25Oct Visit byofficials oftheChief
Prosecutor 'sOffice ofBulgariaUKPatent
OfficeBulgaria Private
8Nov Study visitbyNepalese officials UKPatent
OfficeNepal WIPO
11Nov Visit ofdelegation ledbythe
Honourable Minister ofDomestic
Trade andConsumer Affairs,
MalaysiaUKPatent
OfficeMalaysia Private
18Nov Study visitbyActing Registrar
General ofGhanaUKPatent
OfficeGhana PrivateIP/C/W/77/Add.1/Suppl.2
Page4
DATE PURPOSE VENUEBENEFITTING
COUNTRYSPONSOR
1997
16/17 Jan Study visitfrom highlevel official of
theHong Kong, China IPOffice to
Trade Marks andDesignsUKPatent
OfficeHong Kong,
ChinaPrivate
3Mar Study visittoCopyright byPolish
officialsUKPatent
OfficePoland Know howfund
7Mar Study visittoCopyright byofficials
from Chinese TaipeiUKPatent
OfficeChinese Taipei Private
5Mar Visit byadelegation from the
Chinese Department ofIndustry and
CommerceUKPatent
OfficeChina Private
6/7Mar Visit byPolish Intellectual Property
ProgrammeUKPatent
OfficePoland Inassociation
withPublic
Administration
international
24Mar Official oftheLatvian Patent Office
visited Trade MarksUKPatent
OfficeLatvia Private
24-27 Mar ARIPO Conference UKPatent
Office19ARIPO
countriesWIPO/UK
Patent Office
28Apr Visit byaRussian Delegation UKPatent
OfficeRussian
FederationPrivate
1May Study visittoCopyright byofficials
from VietnamUKPatent
OfficeVietnam Private
21May Visit byofficials oftheCzech
Republic Patent OfficeUKPatent
OfficeCzech Republic Private
2July Study visittoCopyright byofficials
from BulgariaUKPatent
OfficeBulgaria Private
8/9July Visit byaparty ofRussian patent
attorneysUKPatent
OfficeRussian
FederationInassociation
withCIPA
Dec97/
Jan98Proposed visitbytheSlovakian IP
Office, mainly toTrade MarksUKPatent
OfficeSlovak Republic Private