At the 13 February meeting of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council, Members discussed the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Positions generally remained unchanged: the group of developing countries (Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, India, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, Tanzania, Ecuador and South Africa), which had proposed text on disclosure of origin, asked to proceed with text-based negotiations, and were supported by a number of African countries. Other developed countries said it was premature to discuss disclosure-related issues, while the EU preferred to address the issue at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore. Meanwhile, WTO Deputy Director-General Rufus Yerxa is holding informal consultations on how to move the issue forward.
Links to further information
Bridges Trade BioRes, 16 February 2007
IP Watch, 14 February 2007