E li/WG/dev/8/7 Prov. Original: English date: April , 2014 Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Appellations of Origin) Eighth Session Geneva, December to 6, 2013

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LI/WG/DEV/8/7 Prov.
ORIGINAL: English
DATE: April 4, 2014

Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Appellations of Origin)

Eighth Session

Geneva, December 2 to 6, 2013

Draft Report

prepared by the Secretariat

1 The Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Appellations of Origin) (hereinafter referred to as “the Working Group”) met in Geneva, from December 2 to 6, 2013.

2 The following Contracting Parties of the Lisbon Union were represented at the session: Algeria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Haiti, Hungary, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal (12).
3 The following States were represented as observers: Australia, Benin, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (24).
4 Representatives of the following international intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)

took part in the session in an observer capacity: European Union (EU), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), World Trade Organization (WTO) (3).

5 Representatives of the following international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) took part in the session in an observer capacity: Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI), International Trademark Association (INTA), MARQUES (Association of European Trademark Owners), Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network (oriGIn) (4).
6 The list of participants is contained in Annex II.

AGENDA ITEM 1: OPENING OF THE SESSION

7 The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),

Mr. Francis Gurry, opened the session and introduced the draft agenda, as contained in document LI/WG/DEV/8/1 Prov.
8 He started the meeting by recalling that the Working Group had been established, in September 2008, by the Lisbon Union Assembly and that its First session had been held in March 2009. He then pointed out that, as a result of the recommendations that had been made at that session, the Assembly had decided that further work was required “in view of the need to look for improvements of the Lisbon system which would make the system more attractive for States and users, while preserving the principles and objectives of the Lisbon Agreement”, and had mandated the Working Group to do that exploratory work.
9 The Director General further indicated that, since then, the Working Group had engaged in a full review of the Lisbon system to explore what changes to the system would be desirable in order to attract a wider membership. He then recalled that the Working Group had used two main documents for the purpose of developing its revision proposals: (1) a document presenting the results of a survey on the Lisbon system among stakeholders, in the widest possible sense, i.e. member state and non-member state governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and interested circles; and
(2) a study on the relationship between regional systems for the protection of geographical indications and the Lisbon system and the conditions for the possible accession to the Lisbon Agreement by competent intergovernmental organizations (IGOs).
10 The Director General went on to say that the Working Group had discussed those two documents at its second session, in August/September 2010 and, as a result, the International Bureau had been requested to prepare draft provisions on a number of key issues, taking into account the views expressed in the Working Group. He pointed out that those draft provisions had been discussed by the Working Group at its third session, in May 2011.
11 He further indicated that, since that time, the Working Group had been in treaty-drafting mode, with the aim – as spelled out in the Preamble of the current draft Revised Lisbon Agreement: (i) to refine and modernize the legal framework of the system established under the Lisbon Agreement, while preserving the principles and objectives of the Agreement;

(ii) to ensure that the Lisbon system is applicable in respect of appellations of origin and geographical indications; and (iii) to introduce provisions for the possible accession to the draft Revised Lisbon Agreement by intergovernmental organizations.

12 Lastly, he recalled that, at its last session, the Working Group had reported to the Assembly of the Lisbon Union with the recommendation that the Assembly should approve the convening of a diplomatic conference in 2015. He concluded by saying that such recommendation had indeed been approved at the last session of the Assembly in
September 2013.

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GENDA ITEM 2: ELECTION OF A CHAIR AND TWO VICE-CHAIRS

13 Mr. Mihály Ficsor (Hungary) was unanimously elected as Chair of the Working Group, Mr. Behzad Saberi Ansari (Iran (Islamic Republic of)) and Mrs. Ana Gobechia (Georgia) were unanimously elected as Vice-Chairs.
14 Mr. Matthijs Geuze (WIPO) acted as Secretary to the Working Group.

AGENDA ITEM 3: ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

15 The Working Group adopted the draft agenda (document LI/WG/DEV/8/1 Prov.) without modification.