11 May 1995
APEC CONFERENCE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
More than 80 delegates from 18 member economies of APEC will meet in Sydney next week for the first APEC conference on intellectual property rights, the Minister for Trade, Senator Bob McMullan, said today.
Senator McMullan said the conference will begin formal regional dialogue on the implementation of effective measures to protect intellectual property - including copyright, trade marks and patents.
"It will be an important contribution to the development of enhanced intellectual property protection in the region," Senator McMullan said.
"The Bogor Declaration signed at the APEC Summit in November last year committed all APEC member economies to free and open trade and investment no later than 2020.
"Effective regional protection of intellectual property rights will be a crucial factor in meeting this goal."
"Exporters and investors must feel confident that, in placing their products in a foreign market, they will be adequately protected from all forms of intellectual piracy.
"This means there is a need for comprehensive domestic legislation and a high level of protection between major regional trading partners.
"The conference is an important part of the APEC intellectual property rights strategy."
The central theme of the conference will be the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which came out of the GATT Uruguay Round.
Mr Adrian Otten, a director of the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation, will address the conference, as will officials of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the UN-sponsored World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), and intellectual property specialists from the region.
THE CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT THE SHERATON ON THE PARK HOTEL, SYDNEY FROM 17-19 MAY 1995.
Further information:
Senator McMullan's office: John Flannery, (06) 277 7420
DFAT: Lenore Neal, (06) 261 2019