RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/10
16October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4493)
Working Party onthe Original: English
Accession ofLithuania
ACCESSION OFLITHUANIA
Progress inImplementing theAgreement on
Trade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights
TheMinistry ofForeign Affairs oftheRepublic ofLithuania hassubmitted thefollowing
informationonprogressinimplementingtheAgreementonTrade-relatedAspectsofIntellectualProperty
Rights.
_______________
Lithuaniacontinuestomakeprogressinimplementinglegal,institutionalandenforcementregimes
which arenecessary tomeetWTO TRIPs obligations. Seeattachment foranupdate ofthecurrent status
ofthese efforts.
Tosummarise thoseareaswhere improvements arebeing made regarding copyrights andrelated
rights: Lithuania continues work todraftaLawonCopyright andRelated Rights which should be
submitted totheGovernment bytheendof1997. Lithuania continues work toprepare documents
necessary forratification oftheRome Convention which isexpected intheendat1997.
Regarding industrial property, thePatent Law, theLawonTrademarks andService Marks
andtheLawonIndustrial Design allrequire small improvements tomeettherequirements oftheTRIPS
Agreement which willbemade inthecourse of1998.
TheLawontheProtection ofLayout Designs ofIntegrated Circuits isbeing drafted.
Regarding enforcement, anewLawontheProtection ofIntellectual Property forImported
andExported Goods isbeing drafted; Parliament islikely toadopt itin1998.
Lithuania isalsoworking onimprovements toitssystem ofadministrative, civilandcriminal
remedies forinfringements ofalltypes ofintellectual property.WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/10
Page2ATTACHMENT
Status ofLithuanian Legislation tomeetWTO TRIPS Requirements
TRIPS Agreement Laws andother legalactsaddressing thesubject matter Draft legislation toaddress subject matter
PartII,Section 1
Copyright andRelated Rights-Civil LawontheAmendment andSupplement tothe
Civil Code (17May1994) which willbeelaborated
bynewLawonCopyrights andRelated Rights;
-LawontheLegal Protection ofComputer Programs
andDatabases of30January 1996;
-Membership intheBerne Convention from 1994;-draftLawonCopyrights andRelated Rights
(first halfof1998);
-draftdocuments toratify theRome Convention
(until theendof1997);
-preparation ofjoining totheGeneva Convention
(inthecourse of1998);
PartII,Section 2
Trademarks-LawonTrademarks andService Marks of
3June1993;
-membership intheParis Convention from 1994;
-membership from 1996 intheNiceAgreement (1957)
Concerning theInternational Classification ofGoods
andServices forthePurposes ofRegistration of
Marks;
-membership from 1997 (15November) intheProtocol
Relating totheMadrid Agreement Concerning the
International Registration ofMarks;-noprotection ofgeographical indications butthis
renewed willbeprovided under newLawon
Competition (first halfof1998);
-amendment totheLawonTrademarks and
Service Marks toinclude measures which are
prohibited touseinconnection withgeographical
indications (terms as“kind”,“style”,“like”,
etc.)(inthecourse of1998);
-amendment toprocedures followed bytheState
Patent Bureau tocertify amark aswell-known (in
thebeginning of1998);
PartII,Section 3
Geographical Indications-partially LawonCompetition of15September 1992 -seeprevious section;
-draftnewLawonCompetition willprovide for
theregulation oftheuseofgeographical
indications which complied fullywithTRIPS
(first halfof1998);
PartII,Section 4
Industrial Design-LawonIndustrial Design of4July1995;
-membership intheParis Convention from 1994;-amendment toinclude “selling ”products as
infringing act(inthecourse of1998);
-amendment tofurther detail initial termof
protection (inthecourse of1998);WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/10
Page3TRIPS Agreement Laws andother legalactsaddressing thesubject matter Draft legislation toaddress subject matter
PartII,Section 5
Patents-Patent Lawof18January 1994;
-LawontheProtection ofPlant Varieties andSeed
Growing of17September 1996;
-membership intheParis Convention from 1994;-amendment toallow patent owner toprohibit the
saleofapatented products (inthecourse of
1998);
-amendment toprovide specific occasions when a
non-exclusive compulsory licence maybegranted
(inthecourse of1998);
-amendment toallow invalidation ofacompulsory
licence (inthecourse of1998);
PartII,Section 6
Layout Designs ofIntegrated
Circuits-drafting LawontheProtection ofLayout
Designs ofIntegrated Circuits (inthebeginning
of1998);
PartII,Section 7
Protection ofUndisclosed
Information-LawonCompetition of15September 1992; -draftnewLawonCompetition willprovide
implementation procedure forprotection of
undisclosed information (first halfof1998);
PartII,Section 8
Control ofAnti-competitive
Practices inContractual
Licences-LawonCompetition of15September 1992;
-theOrder oftheCompetition Council (CC) on
Enforcement against Unfair Competition Activities
Prohibited bytheLawonCompetition of29December
1992;
-theCCOrder onEnforcement ofAgreements
(concerted activities) Prohibited bytheLawon
Competition because theyRestrict orHinder
Competition between Economic Subjects of11
November 1993;
-theCCOrder onEnforcement andExplanation of
Abuse ofDominant Position Prohibited bytheLawon
Competition of7April 1994;-draftnewLawonCompetition willinclude 3CC
Orders indicated insecond column withimproved
provisions oncontrol ofanti-competitive practices
incontractual licences (first halfof1998);
PartIII,Section 2
Civil andAdministrative
Procedures andRemedies-Civil Code ofLithuania;
-Code ofCivil Process ofLithuania;
-Code ofAdministrative Infringements (214(10)Article
from 1996);
-LawonCompetition of15September 1992;-draftLawonAmendment andSupplement tothe
Code ofAdministrative Infringements
(improvements) (inthebeginning of1998);WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/10
Page4 TRIPS Agreement Laws andother legalactsaddressing thesubject matter Draft legislation toaddress subject matter
PartIII,Section 3
Provisional Measures-Civil Code ofLithuania -draftLawonCopyrights andRelated Rights will
provide separate Article “Provisional measures ”
(first halfof1998);
PartIII,Section 4
Special Requirements Related
toBorder Measures-LawonTrademarks andService Marks of3June1993
(only ontrademarks andservice marks);-draftLawontheProtection ofIntellectual
Property forImported andExported Goods (in
thecourse of1998);
PartIII,Section 5
Criminal Procedures-Criminal Code ofLithuania (142Article) -draftLawonAmendment andSupplement tothe
Criminal Code (improvements) (inthebeginning
of1998);