Agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization

COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO)
AND
THE WORLD ORGANISATION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH (OIE)

Adopted by the OIE on 4 March 2010 and by the WIPO on 13 March 2010

Between

The World Intellectual Property Organization (hereinafter referred to as WIPO), having its Headquarters at: 34, chemin des Colombettes, 1211 Geneva 20 – Switzerland, Represented by Dr François GURRY, Director General

and

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (hereinafter referred to as the OIE), having its Headquarters at 12, rue de Prony; 75017 Paris – France, Represented by Dr Bernard VALLAT, Director General

WIPO and the OIE are hereinafter designated “the Parties” or “the Party”, as appropriate,

Preamble

Considering that WIPO is an intergovernmental organisation, created in Stockholm in 1967, with currently 184 Member States, whose aim is to stimulate creativity and economic development by promoting an international intellectual property system, notably by encouraging cooperation between States;

Considering that the OIE is an intergovernmental organisation, created in Paris in 1924, with currently 175 Member Countries, whose aim is to improve animal health worldwide;

Given that it is in the interests of the Parties to undertake to collaborate together in their capacity as intergovernmental organisations;
Convinced that that industrial property is a fundamental tool to achieve their objectives;

Believing that a partnership between WIPO and the OIE can considerably improve cooperation and technical assistance in the Parties’ respective fields of interest;

Considering that strengthening the links between WIPO and the OIE is bound to give renewed impetus to international cooperation within the framework of their respective mandates;

The Parties have decided to conclude the following Cooperation Agreement:

Article 1: Scope

The aim of the present Agreement is to facilitate and strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the Parties in all their fields of interest, where their respective mandates, and where their respective activities could present a common interest between intellectual property and animal health, in particular:

• the dissemination of general information on intellectual property law;
• protection of the intellectual property of the output of each of the Parties; for the OIE: standard’s copyright, guidelines and publications, validation and certification of diagnostic tests for infectious animal diseases;
• the activities of Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres and the status of their experts with regard to the OIE;
• any other topic on which the two Parties decide to collaborate.

This cooperation also includes technical assistance that each Party may, in its respective field of competence, give the other Party, or that Party’s members, in accordance with each Party’s internal rules.

Article 2: Information on the activities of each Party

The Parties undertake to keep each other informed of activities undertaken in the field of intellectual property and the field of animal health that could be of mutual interest or give rise to a joint activity of mutual cooperation.

Article 3: Participation in meetings

Each Party will invite the other Party to participate in meetings where matters of mutual interest may arise, and make the reports of these meetings available to the other Party.

In particular, each Party will have observer status at meetings of the other Party, in accordance with each Party’s internal rules.

Article 4: Exchange of publications

The Parties will exchange their catalogue of publications to enable each Party to request items relating to its activities published by the other Party. The Parties will exchange free copies of documents and publications on topics of common or individual interest. Where appropriate, the Parties will benefit from the concessionary rates applied to their Members or affiliated organisations for further orders of publications.

Article 5: Other forms of cooperation

The Parties will decide on any other forms of cooperation and collaboration that they consider relevant, and in particular:

• promotion of the use of international standards concerning the mandates of the Parties;
• dissemination of international treaties administered by each Party;
• exchange of information and work programmes of mutual interest;
• organisation of workshops, meetings or seminars on topics of mutual interest;
• strengthening of the coordination of joint regional activities relating to topics of mutual interest.

Article 6: Consultations on cooperation

The two Parties will endeavour to extend their cooperation through formal or informal consultations on issues of common interest and periodically assess the results of this cooperation.

Article 7 :Duration of the Agreement
This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of signature by both Parties and shall remain valid until termination.Each Party may propose termination of this Agreement by giving the other Party three months’ written notice of its intention to terminate the Agreement.

Article 8: Amendments
Either Party may propose amendments to this Agreement by giving a written notification. Agreement on proposed amendments shall be reached through an exchange of letters.

In witness whereof, the Parties have signed this Agreement.Signed in two copies, one copy to be held by WIPO and the other by the OIE.