World Trade Organization members will meet Monday and Tuesday to discuss an emerging draft text of an agreement that would establish a global register for wines and spirits geographical indications, products named after places with special characteristics, like Bordeaux wine.
According to sources, the Special Session of the WTO Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will meet on 18-19 April. The full membership negotiating meeting will discuss the latest version of a draft text that has been the subject of work by a small drafting group of the most concerned governments.
WTO members are mandated under the Doha Round of trade negotiations launched in 2001 to agree upon the multilateral register but have been unable to agree on details (IPW, WTO/TRIPS, 4 March 2011). Members are under pressure to complete the text this month as part of the larger push to finish the Doha Round this year.
