. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/490/Rev.2 
4 March 2008 
 (08-0970) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights  
 
 
 
PROTOCOL AMENDING THE TRIPS AGREEMENT –  
STATUS OF ACCEPTANCES 
 
Note from the Secretariat  
 
Revision  
  1. At its meeting in October 2006, the Council requ ested the Secretariat to prepare a note on the 
status of acceptances of the Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement attached to the 
General Council Decision on the Amendment of  the TRIPS Agreement of 6 December 2005 
(WT/L/641).  At its meeting in February 2007, the Chair of the TRIPS Council said that the Secretariat would update the note periodically.  Purs uant to paragraph 1 of the Decision, the Protocol 
attached to it has been submitted to Members.  It is open for acceptance until 31 December 2009 or 
such later date as may be decided by the Ministerial Conference
1.  In accordance with Article X:3 of 
the WTO Agreement, the Protocol will enter into  force upon acceptance by two thirds of the WTO 
Members. 
2. To date, the following Members have notified the acceptance of the Protocol Amending the 
TRIPS Agreement: 
• United States, 17 December 2005, WT/Let/506; 
• Switzerland, 13 September 2006, WT/Let/547; 
• El Salvador, 19 September 2006, WT/Let/548; 
• Republic of Korea, 24 January 2007, WT/Let/558; 
• Norway, 5 February 2007, WT/Let/563; 
• India, 26 March 2007, WT/Let/572; 
• Philippines, 30 March 2007, WT/Let/573; 
• Israel, 10 August 2007, WT/Let/582; 
• Japan, 31 August 2007, WT/Let/592; 
                                                      
1 General Council Decision on an Extension of the Period for the Acceptance by Members of the 
Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreemen t of 18 December 2007 (WT/L/711). IP/C/W/490/Rev.2 
Page 2  
 
  • Australia, 12 September 2007, WT/Let/593; 
• Singapore, 28 September 2007, WT/Let/594; 
• Hong Kong, China, 27 November 2007, WT/Let/606; 
• China, People's Republic of, 28 November 2007, WT/Let/607;  and 
• European Communities
2, 30 November 2007, WT/Let/608. 
3. A communication was also received from th e Netherlands on 31 Janua ry 2008 (WT/Let/611), 
informing the WTO "that the Kingdom of the Ne therlands accepts the said Protocol for the 
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, and that the provis ions so accepted shall be observed in their 
entirety". 
__________ 
                                                      
 2 The text of the instrument of acceptance reads as follows: 
  
"THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUN CIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
 
HAVING regard to the Treaty establishing the Europe an Community, and in particular Article 133(5) 
in conjunction with the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 300(2) and the second subparagraph of Article 300(3) thereof, 
 
NOTIFIES by these presents the acceptance, by the European Community, of the Protocol amending 
the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectua l Property Rights (TRIPS), done at Geneva on 
6 December 2005, 
 CONFIRMS, in accordance with Article 300(7) of the Treaty establishing the European Community, 
that the Protocol will be binding on the Member States of the European Union. 
 The Secretary-General/High Representativ e   The President of the Council 
       o f  t h e  E u r o p e a n  U n i o n "