IP/C/W/655/Add.4  
9 October  2019 
(19-6528) Page: 1/7 
Council for Trade -Related Aspects of  
Intellectual Property Rights  Original:  English  
 
  
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  
INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS  
AUSTRALIA  
Addendum  
The following communication, dated 19 September  2019, is being circulated at the request  of the 
delegation of Australia . 
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.  Australia is committed to sharing information with other WTO members on its  technical and 
financial cooperation activities in the area of intellectual property rights in fulfilment of Article 67 of 
the TRIPS Agreement . This is a full report on Australia 's intellectual property -related technical 
cooperation  activities with developing and least developed countries . It builds upon annual update 
reports provided in 2012 (IP/C/W/582/Add.2), 2013 (IP/C/W/593/Add.7), 2014 (IP/C/W/601), 2015 
(IP/C/W/610/Add.4), 201 6 (IP/C/W/617/Add.1), 2017 (IP/C/W/632/Add.1) and 2018 
(IP/C/W/647/Add.2).  
2.  Australia fulfils its Article 67 technical cooperation commitment through multilateral, regional and 
bilateral programs and activities . Many activities are focused on developing and  least developed 
countries in the Indo -Pacific region . Australia works closely with the World Intellectual Property 
Organization (WIPO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and other 
partners to assist developing and least develo ped countries to build their intellectual property 
capacity and systems.  
3.  Many of the technical co -operation activities implemented under Article 67 of the TRIPS 
Agreement align with Australia 's strategic focus on using aid as a catalyst to promote economic  
growth and poverty reduction, including through a strong emphasis on aid for trade . This is 
embedded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and our future investments, including activities 
under the WIPO -Australia Funds in Trust program, will in turn be influenced by these goals.  
4.  Websites containing information on Australia 's intellectual property regime, which may be 
considered a technical cooperation resource, include the IP Australia website covering patents, 
designs, trademarks and plant breeders ' rights ( www.ipaustralia.gov.au ); the Department of 
Communications and the Arts website on copyright developments 
(www.communications.gov.au/wh at-we-do/copyright ); and the Department of Foreign Affairs and 
Trade website on international IP developments ( www.dfat.gov.au/ip ). 
 
   
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ANNEX1 
Name of programme or project  Australia -WIPO Funds in Trust  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  In February  2016, the Australian Government and WIPO agreed to a second iteration of the Australia -WIPO Funds in Trust (FiT2) with 
the commitment of an additional AUD 3 million  of aid for trade funding . The Australian -funded FiT2 program concluded on 
30 June 2019. The Australian Government has previously provided AUD 2 million  to WIPO from 2012 to 3 0 June 2016. This funding 
promotes economic growth in developing and least developed countries by helping th ese countries build their intellectual property 
regimes and capabilities in facilitating innovation, creativity, investment and technology transfer . There are four themes under 
Australia 's FiT2 program : development of the intellectual property system ; technology transfer (knowledge transfer and 
commercialisation) ; addressing neglected tropical diseases ; and copyright and related rights to assist the blind, visually impaired and 
other persons with print disabilities . Programs implemented under this funding a rrangement are developed in consultation with WIPO 
and the recipient countries . Beneficiaries are involved in project planning to ensure the programs are well suited to their needs.  
The review period of this report ( October  2018 – September  2019) has been dedicated to implementing a workplan of activities under 
the second iteration of funding . National IP strategies have been completed or are progressing, and capacity building activities have 
been undertaken for trademarks, copyrights and patents . An online  training program on the Madrid System accession and 
implementation process for developing and least developed countries has been delivered . A national patent drafting workshop was 
held in Indonesia, and on -the-job searching training has been provided to I ndonesian patent examiners . The FiT also supported six 
research scientists from Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to undertake sabbaticals in Australian a nd 
overseas research institutions in the area of neglected tropical diseases , malaria and tuberculosis as part of the WIPO Re:Search 
program . Australia 's support through the FIT enabled thirty students with print impairments to receive training in the use of technology 
for accessing and reading materials in accessible formats and a further 245 books have been produced in accessible format in Viet 
Nam as part of WIPO 's Accessible Books Consortium initiative.  
Australia will fund a third iteration of the FiT program from September  2019. 
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical  cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
 
 
 
                                                
1 In English only.    
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Name of programme or project  Economic Cooperation Support Program under the ASEAN -Australia -New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA)  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  The AANZFTA 's Economic Cooperation Support Program (AECSP ) consists of the Economic Cooperation Work Program and the 
AANZFTA Support Unit located in the ASEAN Secretariat . The AECSP was established in 2010 as a five year program with funding 
of AUD 20-25 million. T he Program, which was subsequently extended furt her, aims to support the ASEAN Secretariat in servicing 
the AANZFTA Joint Committee and its subsidiary bodies to assist ASEAN Member States, particularly least developed countries, with 
AANZFTA 's implementation . Intellectual property is a vital component o f the AECSP, with the objective being to 'provide 
comprehensive support for the development of sound and balanced intellectual property systems in the AANZFTA region '. The 
following paragraphs outline some of the intellectual property outcomes achieved und er the AECSP with further detail provided in 
the annex to this report.  
IP Australia 's Regional Patent Examination Training (RPET) Program successfully delivered intensive competency -based patent 
examination training to examiners of ASEAN Intellectual Prope rty Offices that conduct substantive patent examinations, to enable 
them to meet international Patent Cooperation Treaty standards . This program trained a number of patent examiners, helping to 
improve patent examination outcomes within the region.  
In 2017 , IP Australia designed a second phase of RPET to deliver sustainable results in embedding the RPET learnings and best 
practice into internal patent examination training (RPET Mentoring) . Experienced IP Australia Mentors have been assigned to each 
particip ating office, and all countries have finished developing competency -based training modules customised to their national 
legislation and practice . These modules are being piloted with the assistance of the IP Australia Mentors.  
Beneficiary institution or a udience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
 
    
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Name of programme or project  Funds in Trust - Arrangement of placements of scientists from developing countries through WIPO Re:Search  
Date and end date  1 January  2019 - 31 December  2019 
Beneficiary country or countries  Indonesia ; Kenya; Madagascar ; Papua New Guinea ; Tanzania  
Brief description  Placed six scientists from developing and least developed countries with public and private sector institutions/companies wit h a 
view to ensuring technical cooperation in the area of research into neglected tropical diseases.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
 
Name of programme or project  Funds in Trust - Development of National IP (NIP) Strategies  
Date and end date  1 January  2019 - 31 December  2019 
Beneficiary country or countries  Lao People's Democratic Republic ; Viet Nam  
Brief description  Lao PDR : The NIP strategy has been developed and translated into the Laotian language . Viet Nam : The NIP strategy has been 
finalised, validated and approved, paving the way for implementation.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
   
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Name of programme or project  Funds in Trust - Patent search and examination training  
Date and end date  1 April 2019 - 30 April 2019 
Beneficiary country or countries  Indonesia  
Brief description  On-the-job training in patent search techniques has been provided to Indonesian patent examiners.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
 
Name of programme or project  Funds in Trust - Development of an online training program on the Madrid System accession and implementation 
process  
Date and end date  1 December  2018 - 1 December  2019 
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  Online training modules on the Madrid System were delivered to WIPO in December  2018 and piloted in July/ August  2019. 
Anticipated release by the WIPO Academy to occur in late 2019.  
Beneficiary institution or audien ce  
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
   
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Name of programme or project  Funds in Trust - Accessible Books Consortium  
Date and end date  1 December  2018 - 7 October  2019 
Beneficiary country or countries  Bangladesh ; Indonesia ; Mongolia ; Viet Nam  
Brief description  Training in accessible book production has been held in Viet Nam and Mongolia . Indonesian students with print impairments have 
been trained in the use of technology for accessing and reading materials in accessible formats . Educational materials in accessible 
formats have been produced for students in Bangladesh. 245 books were developed in Viet Nam with additional books under 
development in Mong olia, Indonesia and Bangladesh in the coming months.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
 
Name of programme or project  Funds in Trust - National Patent Training Workshop  
Date and end date  1 October  2018 - 31 October  2018 
Beneficiary country or countries  Indonesia  
Brief description  1  Provided training in drafting patent applications in Indonesia.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
   
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Name of programme or project  AECSP - Regional Patent Examination Training Mentoring (RPET Mentoring)  
Date and end date  1 June 2017 - 1 December  2019 
Beneficiary country or countries  Indonesia ; Malaysia ; Philippines ; Thailand ; Viet Nam  
Brief description  The main aim of the program is to assist with internal capacity development so that offices can train their own patent examination 
cohort . All countries have finished developing competency -based training modules customised to their national legislation and 
practice . The modules will be pil oted with the assistance of an experienced IP Australia Mentor . The Philippines completed their pilot 
in July 2019, with the remaining countries due to commence before December  2019. 
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
Name of programme or project  International Fund for Cultural Diversity  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary country or countries   
Brief description  To support Australia 's obligations in implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of 
Cultural Expressions, Australia made additional voluntary contributions (of one % of its total contribution to the UNESCO budget)  to 
the UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) in 2018, 2016, 2013 and 2011 . The IFCD promotes sustainable 
development and poverty reduction by funding projects in developing countries that foster the emergence of dynamic cultural s ectors . 
It supports activities such as the development and implementation of cultural policies, capacity -building for cultural entrepreneurs, 
the mapping of cultural industries,  the creation of new cultural industry business models, and the development of strateg ies for 
cultural and creative industries including intellectual property rights . The Department of Communications and the Arts supports the 
program through UNESCO and member parties to the 2005 Convention . The IFCD is a multi -donor fund established to prom ote 
sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries through support to projects that aim to foster the emer gence 
of a dynamic cultural sector . For example, funding is provided to promote grassroots micro -initiatives, capacity building  and knowledge 
sharing in the arts and cultural sectors for activities which contribute to cultural and economic development in LDCs . Since 2010, the 
International Fund for Cultural Diversity has contributed USD 7.5 million  in funding for 105 projects in 5 4 developing countries to 
promote dynamic cultural sectors, revitalisation of the local economy and create positive social change . Australia 's voluntary 
contributions to the IFCD include : 2018: AUD  105,333 2016: AUD  88,692 2013: AUD  80,000 2011: AUD  80,000 Total to date : 
AUD 354,025 Further information is available at http://en.unesco.org/creativity/ifcd  and convention2005.ifcd@unesco.org  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
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