RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS36/3
ORGANIZATION 4July1996
(96-2707)
Original: English
PAKISTAN -PATENT PROTECTION FOR PHARMACEUTICAL
AND AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
Request fortheEstablishment ofaPanel bytheUnited States
Thefollowing communication, dated 3July1996, fromthePermanent Mission oftheUnited
States tothePermanent Mission ofPakistan andtheDispute Settlement Body iscirculated attherequest
oftheUnited States.
_______________
TheAgreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights ("TRIPS") requires
allMembers oftheWorld Trade Organization ("WTO") tograntpatents forthesubject matter specified
inArticle 27oftheAgreement. Article 70.8oftheTRIPS Agreement provides thatwhere aMember
takes advantage ofthetransitional provisions under theAgreement anddoesnotmake product patent
protection available forpharmaceutical andagricultural chemical inventions asofthedateofentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (i.e., 1January 1995), thatMember mustimplement measures to
permit parties tofilepatent applications drawn tosuchinventions onorafterthatdate. When product
patent protection isestablished, these applications must beexamined according tothecriteria for
patentability setforth intheAgreement, based ontheearliest effective filing dateclaimed forthe
application. Patents granted onthese applications must enjoy theterms andrights mandated bythe
TRIPS Agreement.
TheTRIPS Agreement further requires Members subject totheobligations ofArticle 70.8
toprovide exclusive marketing rights tothose parties thathavefiledanapplication under theinterim
filingprocedures,providedthattheproductcoveredbytheinventionhasbeengrantedmarketingapproval
intheMember providing protection andanother Member, andapatent hasbeengranted ontheinvention
inanother Member.
Thelegalregime inPakistan currently doesnotmake patent protection available forinventions
asspecified inArticle 27oftheTRIPS Agreement, orprovide systems thatconform toobligations
oftheTRIPS Agreement regarding theacceptance ofapplications andthegrant ofexclusive marketing
rights. Asaresult, Pakistan 'slegalregime appears tobeinconsistent withtheobligations oftheTRIPS
Agreement, including butnotnecessarily limited toArticles 27,65and70.
Inacommunicationdated30April1996(WT/DS36/1),theUnitedStatesrequestedconsultations
withPakistan pursuant toArticle 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing the
Settlement ofDisputes ("DSU") andArticle 64oftheTRIPS Agreement totheextent thatitincorporates
byreference Article XXII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994. Consultations were
heldon30May1996 butdidnotresult inaresolution ofthedispute.
./.WT/DS36/3
Page2
Accordingly, theUnited States respectfully request theestablishment ofapanel toexamine
thismatter inlightoftheTRIPS Agreement andtofindthatPakistan 'slegalregime failstoconform
totheobligations ofArticles 27,65and70oftheTRIPS Agreement andnullifies orimpairs benefits
accruing directly orindirectly totheUntied States under theTRIPS Agreement.
TheUnited States asksthatthisrequest beplaced ontheagenda forthemeeting oftheDispute
Settlement Body scheduled tobeheldon15July1996andthatthepanel beestablished withstandard
terms ofreference assetoutinArticle 7oftheDSU.