WIPO, potential new treaty on Industrial Design

The World Intellectual Property Organization meeting dedicated solely to a potential new treaty on industrial design law and practice.  The delegates at the meeting agreed to continue working on the draft instrument at the next session. But at the next meeting the delegates will also have to address divergent views on how to integrate technical assistance and capacity building into the treaty.

The 28th session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT) met from 10-14 December.

According to the statement from the chair of the SCT, Imre Gonda of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, progress was made on the draft articles and regulations, though he did not specify what progress was made.

The WIPO General Assembly in October adopted decision which prompted a deeper involvement by delegates in drafting discussions. The WIPO General Assembly requested SCT members to expedite work with “a view to advance substantially the basic proposals for a Design Law Treaty”.