Negotiators Adopt Singapore Treaty

WIPO
date: Wednesday, March 29, 2006

A new international treaty on trademarks, to be known as the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks in recognition of the country that hosted the final round of negotiations, was adopted on March 28, 2006 by member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The new treaty concludes efforts by WIPO's member states to update the 1994 Trademark Law Treaty (TLT) and bring it in line with the technological developments of the past decade.

In his message to the closing ceremony of the Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of a Revised Trademark Law Treaty, WIPO Director General, Dr. Kamil Idris, said that March 27, 2006, "was an historic day" for WIPO and its member states. "A new intellectual property treaty has been adopted by the entire membership of the Organization. It marks a major milestone for WIPO and for the international intellectual property community. In establishing the Treaty, henceforth known in history as the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, the Governments of WIPO’s member states collectively send out a powerful message to all sectors of society across the globe. The message is that in the 21st century, where innovation and knowledge have emerged as a key factor of economic wellbeing, intellectual property has a central role to play in the new information society." He added "The Singapore Treaty, as the first international treaty in the field of intellectual property in the new century, reaffirms the importance of trademarks, one of the major forms of intellectual property, in promoting domestic and international trade and in enhancing enterprise development and consumer confidence."

Dr. Idris paid tribute to "the spirit of goodwill and mutual understanding of the negotiators throughout the past two and a half weeks. It is thanks to their joint efforts and commitment to intellectual property that the hard work has been crowned with success. The part played individually and collectively by the delegations, their readiness to share and accommodate each other's concerns, have made the difference." He said "The successful outcome of the Diplomatic Conference is testimony to the common initiatives, collective wisdom and international cooperation of WIPO's member states."

The Director General thanked the Government of Singapore for hosting the conference, and praised the President of the conference, Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, for his able leadership in steering negotiations to a successful outcome. "That the delegations were able to focus all their attention on the negotiations at hand, untroubled by concerns about administrative details, is the merit of our host, the Government of Singapore," Dr. Idris said. "Through meticulous preparations and the provision of impeccable conference facilities, the host Government permitted the meetings and discussions to run smoothly and seamlessly. I am sure that I speak not only for the Organization but for its entire membership as well as all participants in the Conference when I say how indebted we are to the generosity, hospitality and friendship of the Government and people of Singapore," he added. In particular, the Director General singled out for special mention the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

The diplomatic conference opened on March 13, 2006 and was slated to end on March 28, 2006. The positive atmosphere of the negotiations and a strong commitment to concluding the treaty resulted in negotiations ending three days ahead of schedule. The President of the Diplomatic Conference, Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, who is also Singapore's Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations in Geneva, said this is a sign of commitment to enhancing the regulatory environment for the branded goods industry.

Commenting on the talks, Ambassador Gafoor said "I was impressed by the level of commitment shown by member states of WIPO tothe Treaty.