TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:

INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS

Australia

The following communication, dated 21 October 2024, 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 (document _IP/C/W/582/Add.2), 2013 (document _IP/C/W/593/Add.7), 2014 (document _IP/C/W/601), 2015 (document _IP/C/W/610/Add.4), 2016 (document _IP/C/W/617/Add.1), 2017 (document _IP/C/W/632/Add.1), 2018 (document _IP/C/W/647/Add.2), 2019 (document _IP/C/W/655/Add.4), 2020 (document _IP/C/R/TC/AUS/1), 2021 (document _IP/C/R/TC/AUS/2), 2022 (document _IP/C/R/TC/AUS/3) and 2023 (document _IP/C/R/TC/AUS/4).

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 developed countries to build their intellectual property capacity and systems.

3.  Many of the technical cooperation 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. This is embedded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and our future investments, including ongoing support for the WIPO-Australia Funds in Trust program, which will 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 Attorney-General's Department (Copyright | Attorney-General's Department (ag.gov.au)); and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website on international IP developments (Intellectual property | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (dfat.gov.au)).