WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONIP/C/W/154/Add.2
8 October 1999
(99-4233)
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 hasbeen received from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland by means of a communication, dated
4 October 1999.
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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 and IP/C/W/109/Add.1 of
4 September 1998, 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 September 1998 and
30 September 1999.1 Drafted along the same lines as the preceding reports, this document draws a
distinction between multilateral activities and purely b ilateral 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 framework of  the World Intellectual Property Organization 
(WIPO)
(a) Annual basic training programme at WIPO
From 2 September to 23 October 1998, two experts from Burkina Faso and Chad  were able to
benefit, in the framework of the annual basic tr aining programme, from a two-month training course
which was held in three successive stages:  at WIPO in Geneva, at the CEIPI (Centre d'Etudes
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, onpatents, trademarks and industrial designs.  Emphasis was put on the practical, administrative and
organizational work (for example, the trainees we re invited to participate in the brainstorming
sessions of the trademark examiners).  As in the past, the Swiss Federal Agency for Development and
                                                     
1 (unless otherwise indicated)IP/C/W/154/Add.2
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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 6 September to 22 October 1999, two experts from Benin and Gabon  will receive the
same kind of training.
(b) Information and/or training visits
At the request of WIPO, the Institute received delegations from the following countries:1. Viet Nam:  On 14 October 1998, a delegati on consisting of Deputy Directors-General
from the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture and Information and the Office of the
Government, headed by the Vietnamese Minister of Culture and Information, visited
the Institute for a presentation on copyright and neighbouring rights.  The
presentation dealt with Swiss Copyright Law as well as the tasks of the Institute's
Copyright Division.
2. African countries:  On 11 November 1998, a research fellow from the African
Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) together with the Senior Counselor of
WIPO's Cooperation for Development Bureau for Africa visited the Institute for a
presentation on trademarks, patents and industrial designs.
3. Arab countries:  On 1 December 1998, a delegation of participants to the WIPO
Academy Session for Arab Countries visited the Institute for a presentation by the
Trademark, Patent and Copyright Divisions.  The presentation focused on the Swiss
system of protection and administration of intellectual property rights and the role ofthe Institute in this regard.  Participants consisted of senior officials from diverse
Arab countries, including Algeria, Bahrain
, Djibouti , Egypt , Jordan , Kuwait ,
Lebanon, Libya , Morocco , Oman , Qatar , Palestine , Saudi Arabia , Sudan , Syria ,
Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates .  The visit was conducted within the
framework of the WIPO Academy Session for Arab Countries held in Genevabetween 23 November and 3 December 1998.
4. Belarus:  On 26 February 1999, a delegation of senior copyright officials from the
Belarus Ministry of Justice and the Chief Specialist of the Legal Department of the
Belarus Council of Ministers made a study visit to the Institute for a presentation on
Swiss Copyright Law, the tasks of the Institute's Copyright Division and the
supervision of collecting societies.
5. African and Caribbean countries:  On 21 April 1999, a delegation of participants to
the WIPO Academy on Intellectual Property (held in Geneva from 19 to 27 April
1999) visited the Institute for a presentation by the Trademark, Patent and Copyright
Divisions.  Similar to the above-mentioned seminar for Arab Countries, thepresentation focused on the Swiss system of protection and administration of
intellectual property rights and the role of the Institute in this regard.  Participants
included senior officials from Ethiopia, Gambia
, Ghana , Jamaica , Malawi , South
Africa, Swaziland , Uganda , the United Republic of Tanzania , Zambia  and Zimbabwe .
Additional participants attended as representatives of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)  and the Southern
African Development Community.IP/C/W/154/Add.2
Page 3
6. China:  From 16 to 17 June 1999, a study team of legal experts from China visited the
Institute for a presentation by representatives of the Trademark Department on
aspects of Swiss Trademark Law and the op eration of the Trademark Division.  The
presentation also included a discussion of trademark searches and opposition
procedures.  The study team was composed of two delegations:  one from the ChineseState Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), headed by its Deputy Commissioner;  and
another from the Trademark Office of the Chinese State Administration for Industry
and Commerce (SAIC), headed by its Director.
7. Nigeria:  On 24 June 1999, representati ves of the Institute's Trademark Division
conducted a presentation for legal experts from the Nigerian Ministry of Commerce
and Tourism.  Topics discussed included general principles of trademark examinationand opposition procedures, trademark searches and the electronic database.
(c) Participation in seminars and courses
Philippines:  From 20 to 22 October 1998, a representative from the Institute's Copyright
Division attended the WIPO National Seminar on Collective Management of Copyright and
Neighbouring Rights and the WIPO Internet Treaties (WCT and WPPT), held in Manila, where he
gave presentations on the operation and supervision of collecting societies in Europe and the impact
of information technology on copyright and neighbouring rights.
Lao People's Democratic Republic:  From 29 June to 1 July 1999, an expert from the
Institute's International Affairs Division participated in the Asia-Pacific Seminar on Intellectual
Property and the TRIPS Agreement for Least-developed Countries, held in Vientiane and jointly
organized by WIPO and the Government of the La o People’s Democratic Republic.  She delivered
two presentations:  (1) on the role of intellectual pr operty in connection with the promotion of socio-
economic development, and  (2) on the administration of an industrial property office and its services.
Burkina Faso:  From 17-19 August 1999, an expert from the Institute's International Affairs
Division participated in a sub-regional seminar on the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement,
organized by WIPO and the Government of Burkina Faso for least-developed countries of the French-
speaking Africa.  Two presentations were made by  the expert:  the first one covered the general
provisions, the basic principles and the dispute settlement system of the TRIPS Agreement; thesecond one was focused on infringements of industrial property rights.
South Africa:  On 1 and 2 September 1999, the same expert participated in a symposium on
the International Protection of Geographical Indi cations, held in Cape Province and organized by
WIPO and the South African authorities.  She gave a presentation concerning recent developments inthe TRIPS Council in the field of geographical indications.
(d) Free-of-charge searches on the state of the art for WIPO in favor of developing countries
Between 1 July 1998 and 31 July 1999, the Institute conducted, upon request of 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
Cape Verde 1
Côte d’Ivoire 1
Cuba 6
Chile 28
Guinea 1IP/C/W/154/Add.2
Page 4
Jamaica 1
Morocco 7
Mauritius 1
Mexico 23
Niger 21OAU (Organization of African Unity)              5
Peru 1
Trinidad and Tobago 5
Uruguay 1
Total 63 searches
2. Technical cooperation in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
On 14 May 1999, a representative of the Institute's International Affairs Division made a
presentation on enforcement of Swiss Intellectual Property Law within the framework of a six-week
training programme2 of WTO held in Geneva.  Participants included experts from Albania,
Azerbaijan, Belarus , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Georgia , Macedonia , Moldova , Tajikistan ,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan .  A further presentation was made on patents and undisclosed
information under the relevant provisions of the TRIPS Agreement by a representative from the Swiss
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Federal Department (Ministry) of Economy .
3. Technical cooperation in the framework of WTO and WIPO
From 23 March to 26 March 1999, an expert from the Institute's International Affairs Division
attended a symposium held in Bangui, Central African Republic,3 on the implementation of the
TRIPS Agreement in the French-speaking countries of Sub-Saharan Africa.  She delivered
presentations on the following topics;  trademarks and geographical indications; the Uruguay Round
and the so-called "Millenium Round".
4. Technical Cooperation in the Framework of the United Nations Institute for Training and
Research (UNITAR)
From 2 to 4 August 1999, a seminar was organized in Duschanbe, Tajikistan, by UNITAR on
the WTO Agreement and the accession procedure.4 The above-mentioned expert made two
presentations:  one on the importance of intellectual property for transitional economies and another
on TRIPS questions in the WTO accession procedure.
II. BILATERAL ACTIVITIES
1. Tunisia:  On 18 September 1998, the Head of Documentation of the Tunisian National
Institute of Standardization and Industrial Property (INNORPI) visited the Institute for a
presentation on the Institute’s patent information policy, including information on electronic
data processing.
                                                     
 2 The programme was financed by Switzerland (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), Federal
Department [Ministry] of Economy) and addressed all issues covered by the WTO Agreement.
3 The Central African Republic participated together with WTO and WIPO in the organization of this
symposium.
4 The programme was financed by Switzerland (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), Federal
Department [Ministry] of Economy). A representative of seco covered all the other WTO topics.IP/C/W/154/Add.2
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2. Romania:  On 25 May 1999, the Institute organized a study visit in response to a request by
the Director-General of the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks.  A
presentation focusing on Institute budget, fina nce and investment issues was given to a
delegation composed of government officials and finance experts.
3. Ukraine:  From 25 to 26 January 1999, a group of experts from the Ukrainian Ministry of
Interior visited the Institute for a seminar on infringement of intellectual property rights (in
particular counterfeiting and piracy), which was organized together with the Swiss Federal
Office for Police Matters, Federal Department (Ministry) of Justice and Police.  Following a
general introduction on the functions and activities of the Institute, the programme focused on
the subjects of counterfeiting and piracy as well as on enforcement of intellectual property
rights.  The presentations covered both Institute activities (national and international) and theSwiss legislation.  The experts also visited various cantonal courts, the customs authorities,
the Fédération horlogère (an association of watch producers which is very active in combating
counterfeiting) and SUISA, a collecting society for musical works.
4. Socialist Republic of Viet Nam:  The Agreement on the Protection of Intellectual Property
and Cooperation in the Field of Intellectual Property was signed by Switzerland and the
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on 7 July 1999.  The implementation of the technical
assistance programme will be entrusted, on the Swiss side, to the State Secretariat for
Economic Affairs (seco) of the Federal (Ministry) of Economy and to the Federal Institute of
Intellectual Property, and, on the Vietnamese side, to the National Office of IndustrialProperty.
5. Belarus and Turkemenistan:  On 28 September 1999, the Deputy Chairman of the
Turkmenistan Patent Office and a senior official of the Belarus Patent Office visited the
Institute.  The discussions were focused on the following topics:  trademark examination andopposition procedures, trademark electronic database;  activities of the Patent Division;  tasks
of the Copyright Division and supervision of coll ecting societies;  and status, structure and
functioning (in particular budgetary and financial aspects) of the Institute.
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