TABLE OF CONTENTS*
Article 1: Establishment of the Union; Scope of Industrial Property
Article 2: National Treatment for Nationals of Countries of the Union
Article 3: Same Treatment for Certain Categories of Persons as for Nationals of
Countries of the Union
Article 4: A. to I. Patents, Utility Models, Industrial Designs, Marks, Inventors’
Certificates: Right of Priority.– G. Patents: Division of the
Application
Article 4bis: Patents: Independence of Patents Obtained for the Same Invention in
Different Countries
Article 4ter: Patents: Mention of the Inventor in the Patent
Article 4quater: Patents: Patentability in Case of Restrictions of Sale by Law
Article 5: A Patents: Importation of Articles; Failure to Work or Insufficient
Working; Compulsory Licenses. – B. Industrial Designs: Failure to
Work; Importation of Articles. – C. Marks: Failure to Use; Different
Forms; Use by Co–proprietors. – D. Patents, Utility Models, Marks,
Industrial Designs: Marking
Article 5bis: All Industrial Property Rights: Period of Grace for the Payment of
Fees for the Maintenance of Rights; Patents: Restoration
Article 5ter: Patents: Patented Devices Forming Part of Vessels, Aircraft, or Land
Vehicles
Article 5quater: Patents: Importation of Products Manufactured by a Process Patented
in the Importing Country
Article 5quinquies: Industrial Designs
Article 6: Marks: Conditions of Registration; Independence of Protection of
Same Mark in Different Countries
Article 6bis: Marks: Well–Known Marks
Article 6ter: Marks: Prohibitions concerning State Emblems, Official Hallmarks,
and Emblems of Intergovernmental Organizations
Article 6quater: Marks: Assignment of Marks
Article 6quinquies: Marks: Protection of Marks Registered in One Country of the Union
in the Other Countries of the Union
Article 6sexies: Marks: Service Marks
Article 6septies: Marks: Registration in the Name of the Agent or Representative of the
Proprietor Without the Latter’s Authorization
Article 7: Marks: Nature of the Goods to which the Mark is Applied
Article 7bis: Marks: Collective Marks
Article 8: Trade Names
Article 9: Marks, Trade Names: Seizure, on Importation, etc., of Goods
Unlawfully Bearing a Mark or Trade Name
Article 10: False Indications: Seizure, on Importation, etc., of Goods Bearing
False Indications as to their Source or the Identity of the Producer
Article 10bis: Unfair Competition
Article 10ter: Marks, Trade Names, False Indications, Unfair Competition :
Remedies, Right to Sue
Article 11: Inventions, Utility Models, Industrial Designs, Marks: Temporary
Protection at Certain International Exhibitions
Article 12: Special National Industrial Property Services

* This Table of Contents is added for the convenience of the reader. It does not appear in the signed text of the Convention.
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Article 13: Assembly of the Union
Article 14: Executive Committee
Article 15: International Bureau
Article 16: Finances
Article 17: Amendment of Articles 13 to 17
Article 18: Revision of Articles 1 to 12 and 18 to 30
Article 19: Special Agreements
Article 20: Ratification or Accession by Countries of the Union; Entry Into Force
Article 21: Accession by Countries Outside the Union; Entry Into Force
Article 22: Consequences of Ratification or Accession
Article 23: Accession to Earlier Acts
Article 24: Territories
Article 25: Implementation of the Convention on the Domestic Level
Article 26: Denunciation
Article 27: Application of Earlier Acts
Article 28: Disputes
Article 29: Signature, Languages, Depository Functions
Article 30: Transitional Provisions

Article 1

[Establishment of the Union; Scope of Industrial Property]1)

(1) The countries to which this Convention applies constitute a Union for the protection of industrial
property.
(2) The protection of industrial property has as its object patents, utility models, industrial designs,
trademarks, service marks, trade names, indications of source or appellations of origin, and the repression of
unfair competition.
(3) Industrial property shall be understood in the broadest sense and shall apply not only to industry and
commerce proper, but likewise to agricultural and extractive industries and to all manufactured or natural
products, for example, wines, grain, tobacco leaf, fruit, cattle, minerals, mineral waters, beer, flowers, and
flour.
(4) Patents shall include the various kinds of industrial patents recognized by the laws of the countries of
the Union, such as patents of importation, patents of improvement, patents and certificates of addition, etc.
Article 2

[National Treatment for Nationals of Countries of the Union]

(1) Nationals of any country of the Union shall, as regards the protection of industrial property, enjoy in
all the other countries of the Union the advantages that their respective laws now grant, or may hereafter
grant, to nationals; all without prejudice to the rights specially provided for by this Convention.
Consequently, they shall have the same protection as the latter, and the same legal remedy against any
infringement of their rights, provided that the conditions and formalities imposed upon nationals are
complied with.
(2) However, no requirement as to domicile or establishment in the country where protection is claimed
may be imposed upon nationals of countries of the Union for the enjoyment of any industrial property rights.
(3) The provisions of the laws of each of the countries of the Union relating to judicial and administrative
procedure and to jurisdiction, and to the designation of an address for service or the appointment of an
agent, which may be required by the laws on industrial property are expressly reserved.
1 Articles have been given titles to facilitate their identification. There are no titles in the signed (French) text.

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Article 3

[Same Treatment for Certain Categories of Persons as for Nationals of Countries of the Union]

Nationals of countries outside the Union who are domiciled or who have real and effective industrial
or commercial establishments in the territory of one of the countries of the Union shall be treated in the
same manner as nationals of the countries of the Union.

Article 4

[A to I. Patents, Utility Models, Industrial Designs, Marks, Inventors’ Certificates: Right of Priority. –

G. Patents: Division of the Application]
A.—

(1) Any person who has duly filed an application for a patent, or for the registration of a utility
model, or of an industrial design, or of a trademark, in one of the countries of the Union, or his
successor in title, shall enjoy, for the purpose of filing in the other countries, a right of priority during
the periods hereinafter fixed.
(2) Any filing that is equivalent to a regular national filing under the domestic legislation of any
country of the Union or under bilateral or multilateral treaties concluded between countries of the
Union shall be recognized as giving rise to the right of priority.
(3) By a regular national filing is meant any filing that is adequate to establish the date on
which the application was filed in the country concerned, whatever may be the subsequent fate of the
application.
B. — Consequently, any subsequent filing in any of the other countries of the Union before the
expiration of the periods referred to above shall not be invalidated by reason of any acts accomplished in the
interval, in particular, another filing, the publication or exploitation of the invention, the putting on sale of
copies of the design, or the use of the mark, and such acts cannot give rise to any third–party right or any
right of personal possession. Rights acquired by third parties before the date of the first application that
serves as the basis for the right of priority are reserved in accordance with the domestic legislation of each
country of the Union
C.—

(1) The periods of priority referred to above shall be twelve months for patents and utility
models, and six months for industrial designs and trademarks.
(2) These periods shall start from the date of filing of the first application; the day of filing
shall not be included in the period.
(3) If the last day of the period is an official holiday, or a day when the Office is not open for
the filing of applications in the country where protection is claimed, the period shall be extended until
the first following working day.
(4) A subsequent application concerning the same subject as a previous first application within
the meaning of paragraph (2), above, filed in the same country of the Union shall be considered as the
first application, of which the filing date shall be the starting point of the period of priority, if, at the
time of filing the subsequent application, the said previous application has been withdrawn,
abandoned, or refused, without having been laid open to public inspection and without leaving any
rights outstanding, and if it has not yet served as a basis for claiming a right of priority. The previous
application may not thereafter serve as a basis for claiming a right of priority.
D.—

(1) Any person desiring to take advantage of the priority of a previous filing shall be required to
make a declaration indicating the date of such filing and the country in which it was made. Each
country shall determine the latest date on which such declaration must be made.
(2) These particulars shall be mentioned in the publications issued by the competent authority,
and in particular in the patents and the specifications relating thereto.
(3) The countries of the Union may require any person making a declaration of priority to
produce a copy of the application (description, drawings, etc.) previously filed. The copy, certified as
correct by the authority which received such application, shall not require any authentication, and may
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in any case be filed, without fee, at any time within three months of the filing of the subsequent
application. They may require it to be accompanied by a certificate from the same authority showing
the date of filing, and by a translation.

(4) No other formalities may be required for the declaration of priority at the time of filing the
application. Each country of the Union shall determine the consequences of failure to comply with the
formalities prescribed by this Article, but such consequences shall in no case go beyond the loss of
the right of priority.
(5) Subsequently, further proof may be required.
Any person who avails himself of the priority of a previous application shall be required to
specify the number of that application; this number shall be published as provided for by
paragraph (2), above.

E.—

(1) Where an industrial design is filed in a country by virtue of a right of priority based on the
filing of a utility model, the period of priority shall be the same as that fixed for industrial designs
(2) Furthermore, it is permissible to file a utility model in a country by virtue of a right of
priority based on the filing of a patent application, and vice versa.
F. — No country of the Union may refuse a priority or a patent application on the ground that the
applicant claims multiple priorities, even if they originate in different countries, or on the ground that an
application claiming one or more priorities contains one or more elements that were not included in the
application or applications whose priority is claimed, provided that, in both cases, there is unity of invention
within the meaning of the law of the country.
With respect to the elements not included in the application or applications whose priority is claimed,
the filing of the subsequent application shall give rise to a right of priority under ordinary conditions.

G.—

(1) If the examination reveals that an application for a patent contains more than one invention,
the applicant may divide the application into a certain number of divisional applications and preserve
as the date of each the date of the initial application and the benefit of the right of priority, if any.
(2) The applicant may also, on his own initiative, divide a patent application and preserve as the
date of each divisional application the date of the initial application and the benefit of the right of
priority, if any. Each country of the Union shall have the right to determine the conditions under
which such division shall be authorized.
H. — Priority may not be refused on the ground that certain elements of the invention for which
priority is claimed do not appear among the claims formulated in the application in the country of origin,
provided that the application documents as a whole specifically disclose such elements.
I.—

(1) Applications for inventors’ certificates filed in a country in which applicants have the right
to apply at their own option either for a patent or for an inventor’s certificate shall give rise to the
right of priority provided for by this Article, under the same conditions and with the same effects as
applications for patents.
(2) In a country in which applicants have the right to apply at their own option either for a
patent or for an inventor’s certificate, an applicant for an inventor’s certificate shall, in accordance
with the provisions of this Article relating to patent applications, enjoy a right of priority based on an
application for a patent, a utility model, or an inventor’s certificate.
Article 4bis

[Patents: Independence of Patents Obtained for the
Same Invention in Different Countries]

(1) Patents applied for in the various countries of the Union by nationals of countries of the Union shall
be independent of patents obtained for the same invention in other countries, whether members of the Union
or not.
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(2) The foregoing provision is to be understood in an unrestricted sense, in particular, in the sense that
patents applied for during the period of priority are independent, both as regards the grounds for nullity and
forfeiture, and as regards their normal duration.
(3) The provision shall apply to all patents existing at the time when it comes into effect.
(4) Similarly, it shall apply, in the case of the accession of new countries, to patents in existence on either
side at the time of accession.
(5) Patents obtained with the benefit of priority shall, in the various countries of the Union, have a
duration equal to that which they would have, had they been applied for or granted without the benefit of
priority.
Article 4ter

[Patents: Mention of the Inventor in the Patent]

The inventor shall have the right to be mentioned as such in the patent.

Article 4quater

[Patents: Patentability in Case of Restrictions of Sale by Law]

The grant of a patent shall not be refused and a patent shall not be invalidated on the ground that the
sale of the patented product or of a product obtained by means of a patented process is subject to restrictions
or limitations resulting from the domestic law.

Article 5

[A. Patents: Importation of Articles; Failure to Work or Insufficient Working; Compulsory Licenses. —
B. Industrial Designs: Failure to Work; Importation of Articles. — C. Marks: Failure to Use; Different
Forms; Use by Co–proprietors. — D. Patents, Utility Models, Marks, Industrial Designs: Marking]
A.—

(1) Importation by the patentee into the country where the patent has been granted of articles
manufactured in any of the countries of the Union shall not entail forfeiture of the patent.
(2) Each country of the Union shall have the right to take legislative measures providing for the
grant of compulsory licenses to prevent the abuses which might result from the exercise of the
exclusive rights conferred by the patent, for example, failure to work.
(3) Forfeiture of the patent shall not be provided for except in cases where the grant of
compulsory licenses would not have been sufficient to prevent the said abuses. No proceedings for the
forfeiture or revocation of a patent may be instituted before the expiration of two years from the grant
of the first compulsory license.
(4) A compulsory license may not be applied for on the ground of failure to work or insufficient
working before the expiration of a period of four years from the date of filing of the patent application
or three years from the date of the grant of the patent, whichever period expires last; it shall be
refused if the patentee justifies his inaction by legitimate reasons. Such a compulsory license shall be
non–exclusive and shall not be transferable, even in the form of the grant of a sub–license, except
with that part of the enterprise or goodwill which exploits such license.

(5) The foregoing provisions shall be applicable, mutatis mutandis, to utility models.
B. — The protection of industrial designs shall not, under any circumstance, be subject to any
forfeiture, either by reason of failure to work or by reason of the importation of articles corresponding to
those which are protected.
C.—

(1) If, in any country, use of the registered mark is compulsory, the registration may be
cancelled only after a reasonable period, and then only if the person concerned does not justify his
inaction.
(2) Use of a trademark by the proprietor in a form differing in elements which do not alter the
distinctive character of the mark in the form in which it was registered in one of the countries of the
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Union shall not entail invalidation of the registration and shall not diminish the protection granted to
the mark.

(3) Concurrent use of the same mark on identical or similar goods by industrial or commercial
establishments considered as co–proprietors of the mark according to the provisions of the domestic
law of the country where protection is claimed shall not prevent registration or diminish in any way
the protection granted to the said mark in any country of the Union, provided that such use does not
result in misleading the public and is not contrary to the public interest.

D. — No indication or mention of the patent, of the utility model, of the registration of the trademark,
or of the deposit of the industrial design, shall be required upon the goods as a condition of recognition of
the right to protection.
Article 5bis

[All Industrial Property Rights: Period of Grace for
the Payment of Fees for the Maintenance of Rights;
Patents: Restoration]

(1) A period of grace of not less than six months shall be allowed for the payment of the fees prescribed
for the maintenance of industrial property rights, subject, if the domestic legislation so provides, to the
payment of a surcharge.
(2) The countries of the Union shall have the right to provide for the restoration of patents which have
lapsed by reason of non–payment of fees.
Article 5ter

[Patents: Patented Devices Forming Part of Vessels, Aircraft, or Land Vehicles]

In any country of the Union the following shall not be considered as infringements of the rights of a
patentee:

1.
the use on board vessels of other countries of the Union of devices forming the subject of his
patent in the body of the vessel, in the machinery, tackle, gear and other accessories, when such
vessels temporarily or accidentally enter the waters of the said country, provided that such
devices are used there exclusively for the needs of the vessel;
2.
the use of devices forming the subject of the patent in the construction or operation of aircraft
or land vehicles of other countries of the Union, or of accessories of such aircraft or land
vehicles, when those aircraft or land vehicles temporarily or accidentally enter the said country.
Article 5quater

[Patents: Importation of Products Manufactured by
a Process Patented in the Importing Country]

When a product is imported into a country of the Union where there exists a patent protecting a
process of manufacture of the said product, the patentee shall have all the rights, with regard to the imported
product, that are accorded to him by the legislation of the country of importation, on the basis of the process
patent, with respect to products manufactured in that country.

Article 5quinquies

[Industrial Designs]

Industrial designs shall be protected in all the countries of the Union.

Article 6

[Marks: Conditions of Registration; Independence of Protection of Same Mark in Different Countries]

(1) The conditions for the filing and registration of trademarks shall be determined in each country of the
Union by its domestic legislation.
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(2) However, an application for the registration of a mark filed by a national of a country of the Union in
any country of the Union may not be refused, nor may a registration be invalidated, on the ground that filing,
registration, or renewal, has not been effected in the country of origin.
(3) A mark duly registered in a country of the Union shall be regarded as independent of marks registered
in the other countries of the Union, including the country of origin.
Article 6bis

[Marks: Well–Known Marks]

(1) The countries of the Union undertake, ex officio if their legislation so permits, or at the request of an
interested party, to refuse or to cancel the registration, and to prohibit the use, of a trademark which
constitutes a reproduction, an imitation, or a translation, liable to create confusion, of a mark considered by
the competent authority of the country of registration or use to be well known in that country as being
already the mark of a person entitled to the benefits of this Convention and used for identical or similar
goods. These provisions shall also apply when the essential part of the mark constitutes a reproduction of
any such well–known mark or an imitation liable to create confusion therewith.
(2) A period of at least five years from the date of registration shall be allowed for requesting the
cancellation of such a mark. The countries of the Union may provide for a period within which the
prohibition of use must be requested.
(3) No time limit shall be fixed for requesting the cancellation or the prohibition of the use of marks
registered or used in bad faith.
Article 6ter

[Marks: Prohibitions concerning State Emblems, Official Hallmarks, and Emblems of Intergovernmental
Organizations]

(1)
(a) The countries of the Union agree to refuse or to invalidate the registration, and to prohibit by
appropriate measures the use, without authorization by the competent authorities, either as trademarks or as
elements of trademarks, of armorial bearings, flags, and other State emblems, of the countries of the Union,
official signs and hallmarks indicating control and warranty adopted by them, and any imitation from a
heraldic point of view.
(b) The provisions of subparagraph (a), above, shall apply equally to armorial bearings, flags, other
emblems, abbreviations, and names, of international intergovernmental organizations of which one or more
countries of the Union are members, with the exception of armorial bearings, flags, other emblems,
abbreviations, and names, that are already the subject of international agreements in force, intended to
ensure their protection.
(c) No country of the Union shall be required to apply the provisions of subparagraph (b), above, to
the prejudice of the owners of rights acquired in good faith before the entry into force, in that country, of
this Convention. The countries of the Union shall not be required to apply the said provisions when the use
or registration referred to in subparagraph (a), above, is not of such a nature as to suggest to the public that a
connection exists between the organization concerned and the armorial bearings, flags, emblems,
abbreviations, and names, or if such use or registration is probably not of such a nature as to mislead the
public as to the existence of a connection between the user and the organization.
(2) Prohibition of the use of official signs and hallmarks indicating control and warranty shall apply
solely in cases where the marks in which they are incorporated are intended to be used on goods of the same
or a similar kind.
(3)
(a) For the application of these provisions, the countries of the Union agree to communicate
reciprocally, through the intermediary of the International Bureau, the list of State emblems, and official
signs and hallmarks indicating control and warranty, which they desire, or may hereafter desire, to place
wholly or within certain limits under the protection of this Article, and all subsequent modifications of such
list. Each country of the Union shall in due course make available to the public the lists so communicated.
Nevertheless such communication is not obligatory in respect of flags of States.
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(b) The provisions of subparagraph (b) of paragraph (1) of this Article shall apply only to such
armorial bearings, flags, other emblems, abbreviations, and names, of international intergovernmental
organizations as the latter have communicated to the countries of the Union through the intermediary of the
International Bureau.
(4) Any country of the Union may, within a period of twelve months from the receipt of the notification,
transmit its objections, if any, through the intermediary of the International Bureau, to the country or
international intergovernmental organization concerned.
(5) In the case of State flags, the measures prescribed by paragraph (1), above, shall apply solely to marks
registered after November 6, 1925.
(6) In the case of State emblems other than flags, and of official signs and hallmarks of the countries of
the Union, and in the case of armorial bearings, flags, other emblems, abbreviations, and names, of
international intergovernmental organizations, these provisions shall apply only to marks registered more
than two months after receipt of the communication provided for in paragraph (3), above.
(7) In cases of bad faith, the countries shall have the right to cancel even those marks incorporating State
emblems, signs, and hallmarks, which were registered before November 6, 1925.
(8) Nationals of any country who are authorized to make use of the State emblems, signs, and hallmarks,
of their country may use them even if they are similar to those of another country.
(9) The countries of the Union undertake to prohibit the unauthorized use in trade of the State armorial
bearings of the other countries of the Union, when the use is of such a nature as to be misleading as to the
origin of the goods.
(10) The above provisions shall not prevent the countries from exercising the right given in
paragraph (3) of Article 6quinquies, Section B, to refuse or to invalidate the registration of marks incorporating,
without authorization, armorial bearings, flags, other State emblems, or official signs and hallmarks adopted
by a country of the Union, as well as the distinctive signs of international intergovernmental organizations
referred to in paragraph (1), above.
Article 6quater

[Marks: Assignment of Marks]

(1) When, in accordance with the law of a country of the Union, the assignment of a mark is valid only if
it takes place at the same time as the transfer of the business or goodwill to which the mark belongs, it shall
suffice for the recognition of such validity that the portion of the business or goodwill located in that
country be transferred to the assignee, together with the exclusive right to manufacture in the said country,
or to sell therein, the goods bearing the mark assigned.
(2) The foregoing provision does not impose upon the countries of the Union any obligation to regard as
valid the assignment of any mark the use of which by the assignee would, in fact, be of such a nature as to
mislead the public, particularly as regards the origin, nature, or essential qualities, of the goods to which the
mark is applied.
Article 6quinquies

[Marks: Protection of Marks Registered in One Country of
the Union in the Other Countries of the Union]

A.—

(1) Every trademark duly registered in the country of origin shall be accepted for filing and
protected as is in the other countries of the Union, subject to the reservations indicated in this Article.
Such countries may, before proceeding to final registration, require the production of a certificate of
registration in the country of origin, issued by the competent authority. No authentication shall be
required for this certificate.
(2) Shall be considered the country of origin the country of the Union where the applicant has a
real and effective industrial or commercial establishment, or, if he has no such establishment within
the Union, the country of the Union where he has his domicile, or, if he has no domicile within the
Union but is a national of a country of the Union, the country of which he is a national.
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B. — Trademarks covered by this Article may be neither denied registration nor invalidated except in
the following cases:
1.
when they are of such a nature as to infringe rights acquired by third parties in the country
where protection is claimed;
2.
when they are devoid of any distinctive character, or consist exclusively of signs or indications
which may serve, in trade, to designate the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value,
place of origin, of the goods, or the time of production, or have become customary in the
current language or in the bona fide and established practices of the trade of the country where
protection is claimed;
3.
when they are contrary to morality or public order and, in particular, of such a nature as to
deceive the public. It is understood that a mark may not be considered contrary to public order
for the sole reason that it does not conform to a provision of the legislation on marks, except if
such provision itself relates to public order.
This provision is subject, however, to the application of Article 10bis.

C.—

(1) In determining whether a mark is eligible for protection, all the factual circumstances must
be taken into consideration, particularly the length of time the mark has been in use.
(2) No trademark shall be refused in the other countries of the Union for the sole reason that it
differs from the mark protected in the country of origin only in respect of elements that do not alter its
distinctive character and do not affect its identity in the form in which it has been registered in the
said country of origin.
D. — No person may benefit from the provisions of this Article if the mark for which he claims
protection is not registered in the country of origin.
E. — However, in no case shall the renewal of the registration of the mark in the country of origin
involve an obligation to renew the registration in the other countries of the Union in which the mark has
been registered.
F. — The benefit of priority shall remain unaffected for applications for the registration of marks
filed within the period fixed by Article 4, even if registration in the country of origin is effected after the
expiration of such period.
Article 6sexies

[Marks: Service Marks]

The countries of the Union undertake to protect service marks. They shall not be required to provide
for the registration of such marks.

Article 6septies

[Marks: Registration in the Name of the Agent or Representative of the Proprietor Without the Latter’s
Authorization]

(1) If the agent or representative of the person who is the proprietor of a mark in one of the countries of
the Union applies, without such proprietor’s authorization, for the registration of the mark in his own name,
in one or more countries of the Union, the proprietor shall be entitled to oppose the registration applied for
or demand its cancellation or, if the law of the country so allows, the assignment in his favor of the said
registration, unless such agent or representative justifies his action.
(2) The proprietor of the mark shall, subject to the provisions of paragraph (1), above, be entitled to
oppose the use of his mark by his agent or representative if he has not authorized such use.
(3) Domestic legislation may provide an equitable time limit within which the proprietor of a mark must
exercise the rights provided for in this Article.
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Article 7

[Marks: Nature of the Goods to which the Mark is Applied]

The nature of the goods to which a trademark is to be applied shall in no case form an obstacle to the
registration of the mark.

Article 7bis

[Marks: Collective Marks]

(1) The countries of the Union undertake to accept for filing and to protect collective marks belonging to
associations the existence of which is not contrary to the law of the country of origin, even if such
associations do not possess an industrial or commercial establishment.
(2) Each country shall be the judge of the particular conditions under which a collective mark shall be
protected and may refuse protection if the mark is contrary to the public interest.
(3) Nevertheless, the protection of these marks shall not be refused to any association the existence of
which is not contrary to the law of the country of origin, on the ground that such association is not
established in the country where protection is sought or is not constituted according to the law of the latter
country.
Article 8

[Trade Names]

A trade name shall be protected in all the countries of the Union without the obligation of filing or
registration, whether or not it forms part of a trademark.

Article 9

[Marks, Trade Names: Seizure, on Importation, etc.,
of Goods Unlawfully Bearing a Mark or Trade Name]

(1) All goods unlawfully bearing a trademark or trade name shall be seized on importation into those
countries of the Union where such mark or trade name is entitled to legal protection.
(2) Seizure shall likewise be effected in the country where the unlawful affixation occurred or in the
country into which the goods were imported.
(3) Seizure shall take place at the request of the public prosecutor, or any other competent authority, or
any interested party, whether a natural person or a legal entity, in conformity with the domestic legislation
of each country.
(4) The authorities shall not be bound to effect seizure of goods in transit.
(5) If the legislation of a country does not permit seizure on importation, seizure shall be replaced by
prohibition of importation or by seizure inside the country.
(6) If the legislation of a country permits neither seizure on importation nor prohibition of importation
nor seizure inside the country, then, until such time as the legislation is modified accordingly, these
measures shall be replaced by the actions and remedies available in such cases to nationals under the law of
such country.
Article 10

[False Indications: Seizure, on Importation, etc.,
of Goods Bearing False Indications as to their Source
or the Identity of the Producer]

(1) The provisions of the preceding Article shall apply in cases of direct or indirect use of a false
indication of the source of the goods or the identity of the producer, manufacturer, or merchant.
(2) Any producer, manufacturer, or merchant, whether a natural person or a legal entity, engaged in the
production or manufacture of or trade in such goods and established either in the locality falsely indicated as
the source, or in the region where such locality is situated, or in the country falsely indicated, or in the
country where the false indication of source is used, shall in any case be deemed an interested party.
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Article 10bis

[Unfair Competition]

(1) The countries of the Union are bound to assure to nationals of such countries effective protection
against unfair competition.
(2) Any act of competition contrary to honest practices in industrial or commercial matters constitutes an
act of unfair competition.
(3) The following in particular shall be prohibited:
1.
all acts of such a nature as to create confusion by any means whatever with the establishment,
the goods, or the industrial or commercial activities, of a competitor;
2.
false allegations in the course of trade of such a nature as to discredit the establishment, the
goods, or the industrial or commercial activities, of a competitor;
3.
indications or allegations the use of which in the course of trade is liable to mislead the public
as to the nature, the manufacturing process, the characteristics, the suitability for their purpose,
or the quantity, of the goods.
Article 10ter

[Marks, Trade Names, False Indications, Unfair Competition: Remedies, Right to Sue]

(1) The countries of the Union undertake to assure to nationals of the other countries of the Union
appropriate legal remedies effectively to repress all the acts referred to in Articles 9, 10, and 10bis.
(2) They undertake, further, to provide measures to permit federations and associations representing
interested industrialists, producers, or merchants, provided that the existence of such federations and
associations is not contrary to the laws of their countries, to take action in the courts or before the
administrative authorities, with a view to the repression of the acts referred to in Articles 9, 10, and 10bis, in
so far as the law of the country in which protection is claimed allows such action by federations and
associations of that country.
Article 11

[Inventions, Utility Models, Industrial Designs, Marks: Temporary Protection at Certain International
Exhibitions]

(1) The countries of the Union shall, in conformity with their domestic legislation, grant temporary
protection to patentable inventions, utility models, industrial designs, and trademarks, in respect of goods
exhibited at official or officially recognized international exhibitions held in the territory of any of them.
(2) Such temporary protection shall not extend the periods provided by Article 4. If, later, the right of
priority is invoked, the authorities of any country may provide that the period shall start from the date of
introduction of the goods into the exhibition.
(3) Each country may require, as proof of the identity of the article exhibited and of the date of its
introduction, such documentary evidence as it considers necessary.
Article 12

[Special National Industrial Property Services]

(1) Each country of the Union undertakes to establish a special industrial property service and a central
office for the communication to the public of patents, utility models, industrial designs, and trademarks.
(2) This service shall publish an official periodical journal. It shall publish regularly:
(a)
the names of the proprietors of patents granted, with a brief designation of the inventions
patented;
(b)
the reproductions of registered trademarks.
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Article 13

[Assembly of the Union]

(1)
(a) The Union shall have an Assembly consisting of those countries of the Union which are
bound by Articles 13 to 17.
(b) The Government of each country shall be represented by one delegate, who may be assisted
by alternate delegates, advisors, and experts.
(c) The expenses of each delegation shall be borne by the Government which has appointed it.
(2)
(a) The Assembly shall:
(i) deal with all matters concerning the maintenance and development of the Union and the
implementation of this Convention;
(ii) give directions concerning the preparation for conferences of revision to the International
Bureau of Intellectual Property (hereinafter designated as “the International Bureau”)
referred to in the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization
(hereinafter designated as “the Organization”), due account being taken of any comments
made by those countries of the Union which are not hound by Articles 13 to 17;

(iii) review and approve the reports and activities of the Director General of the Organization
concerning the Union, and give him all necessary instructions concerning matters within
the competence of the Union;
(iv) elect the members of the Executive Committee of the Assembly;
(v) review and approve the reports and activities of its Executive Committee, and give
instructions to such Committee;
(vi) determine the program and adopt the biennial budget of the Union, and approve its final
accounts;
(vii) adopt the financial regulations of the Union;
(viii) establish such committees of experts and working groups as it deems appropriate to
achieve the objectives of the Union;
(ix) determine which countries not members of the Union and which intergovernmental and
international nongovernmental organizations shall be admitted to its meetings as
observers;
(x) adopt amendments to Articles 13 to 17;
(xi) take any other appropriate action designed to further the objectives of the Union;
(xii) perform such other functions as are appropriate under this Convention;
(xiii) subject to its acceptance, exercise such rights as are given to it in the Convention
establishing the Organization.
(b) With respect to matters which are of interest also to other Unions administered by the
Organization, the Assembly shall make its decisions after having heard the advice of the Coordination
Committee of the Organization.
(3)
(a) Subject to the provisions of subparagraph (b), a delegate may represent one country only.
(b) Countries of the Union grouped under the terms of a special agreement in a common office
possessing for each of them the character of a special national service of industrial property as
referred to in Article 12 may be jointly represented during discussions by one of their number.
(4)
(a) Each country member of the Assembly shall have one vote.
(b) One–half of the countries members of the Assembly shall constitute a quorum.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (b), if, in any session, the number of
countries represented is less than one–half but equal to or more than one–third of the countries
members of the Assembly, the Assembly may make decisions but, with the exception of decisions
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concerning its own procedure, all such decisions shall take effect only if the conditions, set forth
hereinafter are fulfilled. The International Bureau shall communicate the said decisions to the
countries members of the Assembly which were not represented and shall invite them to express in
writing their vote or abstention within a period of three months from the date of the communication.
If, at the expiration of this period, the number of countries having thus expressed their vote or
abstention attains the number of countries which was lacking for attaining the quorum in the session
itself, such decisions shall take effect provided that at the same time the required majority still
obtains.

(d) Subject to the provisions of Article 17(2), the decisions of the Assembly shall require two–
thirds of the votes cast.
(e) Abstentions shall not be considered as votes.
(5)
(a) Subject to the provisions of subparagraph (b), a delegate may vote in the name of one
country only.
(b) The countries of the Union referred to in paragraph (3)(b) shall, as a general rule, endeavor
to send their own delegations to the sessions of the Assembly. If, however, for exceptional reasons,
any such country cannot send its own delegation, it may give to the delegation of another such country
the power to vote in its name, provided that each delegation may vote by proxy for one country only.
Such power to vote shall be granted in a document signed by the Head of State or the competent
Minister.
(6) Countries of the Union not members of the Assembly shall be admitted to the meetings of the latter as
observers.
(7)
(a) The Assembly shall meet once in every second calendar year in ordinary session upon convocation
by the Director General and, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, during the same period and at the
same place as the General Assembly of the Organization.
(b) The Assembly shall meet in extraordinary session upon convocation by the Director General, at
the request of the Executive Committee or at the request of one–fourth of the countries members of the
Assembly.
(8) The Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure.
Article 14

[Executive Committee]

(1) The Assembly shall have an Executive Committee.
(2)
(a) The Executive Committee shall consist of countries elected by the Assembly from among
countries members of the Assembly. Furthermore, the country on whose territory the Organization has its
headquarters shall, subject to the provisions of Article 16(7)(b), have an ex officio seat on the Committee.
(b) The Government of each country member of the Executive Committee shall be represented by one
delegate, who may be assisted by alternate delegates, advisors, and experts.
(c) The expenses of each delegation shall be borne by the Government which has appointed it.
(3) The number of countries members of the Executive Committee shall correspond to one–fourth of the
number of countries members of the Assembly. In establishing the number of seats to be filled, remainders
after division by four shall be disregarded.
(4) In electing the members of the Executive Committee, the Assembly shall have due regard to an
equitable geographical distribution and to the need for countries party to the Special Agreements established
in relation with the Union to be among the countries constituting the Executive Committee.
(5)
(a) Each member of the Executive Committee shall serve from the close of the session of the
Assembly which elected it to the close of the next ordinary session of the Assembly.
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(b) Members of the Executive Committee may be re–elected, but only up to a maximum of two–thirds
of such members.
(c) The Assembly shall establish the details of the rules governing the election and possible re–
election of the members of the Executive Committee.
(6)
(a) The Executive Committee shall:
(i) prepare the draft agenda of the Assembly;
(ii) submit proposals to the Assembly in respect of the draft program and biennial budget of the
Union prepared by the Director General;
(iii) [deleted]
(iv) submit, with appropriate comments, to the Assembly the periodical reports of the Director
General and the yearly audit reports on the accounts;
(v) take all necessary measures to ensure the execution of the program of the Union by the Director
General, in accordance with the decisions of the Assembly and having regard to circumstances
arising between two ordinary sessions of the Assembly;
(vi) perform such other functions as are allocated to it under this Convention.
(b) With respect to matters which are of interest also to other Unions administered by the
Organization, the Executive Committee shall make its decisions after having heard the advice of the
Coordination Committee of the Organization.
(7)
(a) The Executive Committee shall meet once a year in ordinary session upon convocation by the
Director General, preferably during the same period and at the same place as the Coordination Committee of
the Organization.
(b) The Executive Committee shall meet in extraordinary session upon convocation by the Director
General, either on his own initiative, or at the request of its Chairman or one–fourth of its members.
(8)
(a) Each country member of the Executive Committee shall have one vote.
(b) One–half of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
(c) Decisions shall be made by a simple majority of the votes cast.
(d) Abstentions shall not be considered as votes.
(e) A delegate may represent, and vote in the name of, one country only.
(9) Countries of the Union not members of the Executive Committee shall be admitted to its meetings as
observers.
(10) The Executive Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.
Article 15

[International Bureau]

(1)
(a) Administrative tasks concerning the Union shall be performed by the International Bureau, which
is a continuation of the Bureau of the Union united with the Bureau of the Union established by the
International Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
(b) In particular, the International Bureau shall provide the secretariat of the various organs of the
Union.
(c) The Director General of the Organization shall be the chief executive of the Union and shall
represent the Union.
(2) The International Bureau shall assemble and publish information concerning the protection of
industrial property. Each country of the Union shall promptly communicate to the International Bureau all
new laws and official texts concerning the protection of industrial property. Furthermore, it shall furnish the
International Bureau with all the publications of its industrial property service of direct concern to the
protection of industrial property which the International Bureau may find useful in its work.
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(3) The International Bureau shall publish a monthly periodical.
(4) The International Bureau shall, on request, furnish any country of the Union with information on
matters concerning the protection of industrial property.
(5) The International Bureau shall conduct Studies, and shall provide services, designed to facilitate the
protection of industrial property.
(6) The Director General and any staff member designated by him shall participate, without the right to
vote, in all meetings of the Assembly, the Executive Committee, and any other committee of experts or
working group. The Director General, or a staff member designated by him, shall be ex officio secretary of
these bodies.
(7)
(a) The International Bureau shall, in accordance with the directions of the Assembly and in
cooperation with the Executive Committee, make the preparations for the conferences of revision of the
provisions of the Convention other than Articles 13 to 17.
(b) The International Bureau may consult with intergovernmental and international non–governmental
organizations concerning preparations for conferences of revision.
(c) The Director General and persons designated by him shall take part, without the right to vote, in
the discussions at these conferences.
(8) The International Bureau shall carry out any other tasks assigned to it.
Article 16

[Finances]

(1)
(a) The Union shall have a budget.
(b) The budget of the Union shall include the income and expenses proper to the Union, its
contribution to the budget of expenses common to the Unions, and, where applicable, the sum made
available to the budget of the Conference of the Organization.
(c) Expenses not attributable exclusively to the Union but also to one or more other Unions
administered by the Organization shall be considered as expenses common to the Unions. The share of the
Union in such common expenses shall be in proportion to the interest the Union has in them.
(2) The budget of the Union shall be established with due regard to the requirements of coordination with
the budgets of the other Unions administered by the Organization.
(3) The budget of the Union shall be financed from the following sources:
(i) contributions of the countries of the Union;
(ii) fees and charges due for services rendered by the International Bureau in relation to the Union;
(iii) sale of, or royalties on, the publications of the International Bureau concerning the Union;
(iv) gifts, bequests, and subventions;
(v) rents, interests, and other miscellaneous income.
(4)
(a) For the purpose of establishing its contribution towards the budget, each country of the Union
shall belong to a class, and shall pay its annual contributions on the basis of a number of units fixed as
follows:
Class I ............. 25
Class II ............ 20
Class III ........... 15
Class IV ............ 10
Class V ............. 5
Class VI ............ 3
Class VII ........... 1

(b) Unless it has already done so, each country shall indicate, concurrently with depositing its
instrument of ratification or accession, the class to which it wishes to belong. Any country may change
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class. If it chooses a lower class, the country must announce such change to the Assembly at one of its
ordinary sessions. Any such change shall take effect at the beginning of the calendar year following the said
session.

(c) The annual contribution of each country shall be an amount in the same proportion to the total sum
to be contributed to the budget of the Union by all countries as the number of its units is to the total of the
units of all contributing countries.
(d) Contributions shall become due on the first of January of each year.
(e) A country which is in arrears in the payment of its contributions may not exercise its right to vote
in any of the organs of the Union of which it is a member if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the
amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. However, any organ of the Union
may allow such a country to continue to exercise its right to vote in that organ if, and as long as, it is
satisfied that the delay in payment is due to exceptional and unavoidable circumstances.
(f) If the budget is not adopted before the beginning of a new financial period, it shall be at the same
level as the budget of the previous year, as provided in the financial regulations.
(5) The amount of the fees and charges due for services rendered by the International Bureau in relation
to the Union shall be established, and shall be reported to the Assembly and the Executive Committee, by
the Director General.
(6)
(a) The Union shall have a working capital fund which shall be constituted by a single payment made
by each country of the Union. If the fund becomes insufficient, the Assembly shall decide to increase it.
(b) The amount of the initial payment of each country to the said fund or of its participation in the
increase thereof shall be a proportion of the contribution of that country for the year in which the fund is
established or the decision to increase it is made.
(c) The proportion and the terms of payment shall be fixed by the Assembly on the proposal of the
Director General and after it has heard the advice of the Coordination Committee of the Organization.
(7)
(a) In the headquarters agreement concluded with the country on the territory of which the
Organization has its headquarters, it shall be provided that, whenever the working capital fund is
insufficient, such country shall grant advances. The amount of these advances and the conditions on which
they are granted shall be the subject of separate agreements, in each case, between such country and the
Organization. As long as it remains under the obligation to grant advances, such country shall have an ex
officio seat on the Executive Committee.
(b) The country referred to in subparagraph (a) and the Organization shall each have the right to
denounce the obligation to grant advances, by written notification. Denunciation shall take effect three years
after the end of the year in which it has been notified.
(8) The auditing of the accounts shall be effected by one or more of the countries of the Union or by
external auditors, as provided in the financial regulations. They shall be designated, with their agreement, by
the Assembly.
Article 17

[Amendment of Articles 13 to 17]

(1) Proposals for the amendment of Articles 13, 14, 15, 16, and the present Article, may be initiated by
any country member of the Assembly, by the Executive Committee, or by the Director General. Such
proposals shall be communicated by the Director General to the member countries of the Assembly at least
six months in advance of their consideration by the Assembly.
(2) Amendments to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall be adopted by the Assembly. Adoption
shall require three–fourths of the votes cast, provided that any amendment to Article 13, and to the present
paragraph, shall require four–fifths of the votes cast.

(3) Any amendment to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall enter into force one month after
written notifications of acceptance, effected in accordance with their respective constitutional processes,
have been received by the Director General from three–fourths of the countries members of the Assembly at
the time it adopted the amendment. Any amendment to the said Articles thus accepted shall bind all the
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countries which are members of the Assembly at the time the amendment enters into force, or which become
members thereof at a subsequent date, provided that any amendment increasing the financial obligations of
countries of the Union shall bind only those countries which have notified their acceptance of such
amendment.

Article 18

[Revision of Articles 1 to 12 and 18 to 30]

(1) This Convention shall be submitted to revision with a view to the introduction of amendments
designed to improve the system of the Union.
(2) For that purpose, conferences shall be held successively in one of the countries of the Union among
the delegates of the said countries.
(3) Amendments to Articles 13 to 17 are governed by the provisions of Article 17.
Article 19

[Special Agreements]

It is understood that the countries of the Union reserve the right to make separately between
themselves special agreements for the protection of industrial property, in so far as these agreements do not
contravene the provisions of this Convention.

Article 20

[Ratification or Accession by Countries of the Union; Entry Into Force]

(1)
(a) Any country of the Union which has signed this Act may ratify it, and, if it has not signed it, may
accede to it. Instruments of ratification and accession shall be deposited with the Director General.
(b) Any country of the Union may declare in its instrument of ratification or accession that its
ratification or accession shall not apply:
(i) to Articles 1 to 12, or
(ii) to Articles 13 to 17.
(c) Any country of the Union which, in accordance with subparagraph (b), has excluded from the
effects of its ratification or accession one of the two groups of Articles referred to in that subparagraph may
at any later time declare that it extends the effects of its ratification or accession to that group of Articles.
Such declaration shall be deposited with the Director General.
(2)
(a) Articles 1 to 12 shall enter into force, with respect to the first ten countries of the Union which
have deposited instruments of ratification or accession without making the declaration permitted under
paragraph (1)(b)(i), three months after the deposit of the tenth such instrument of ratification or accession.
(b) Articles 13 to 17 shall enter into force, with respect to the first ten countries of the Union which
have deposited instruments of ratification or accession without making the declaration permitted under
paragraph (1)(b)(ii), three months after the deposit of the tenth such instrument of ratification or accession.
(c) Subject to the initial entry into force, pursuant to the provisions of subparagraphs (a) and (b), of
each of the two groups of Articles referred to in paragraph (1)(b)(i) and (ii), and subject to the provisions of
paragraph (1)(b), Articles 1 to 17 shall, with respect to any country of the Union, other than those referred to
in subparagraphs (a) and (b), which deposits an instrument of ratification or accession or any country of the
Union which deposits a declaration pursuant to paragraph (1)(c), enter into force three months after the date
of notification by the Director General of such deposit, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the
instrument or declaration deposited. In the latter case, this Act shall enter into force with respect to that
country on the date thus indicated.
(3) With respect to any country of the Union which deposits an instrument of ratification or accession,
Articles 18 to 30 shall enter into force on the earlier of the dates on which any of the groups of Articles
referred to in paragraph (1)(b) enters into force with respect to that country pursuant to paragraph (2)(a), (b),
or (c).
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Article 21

[Accession by Countries Outside the Union; Entry Into Force]

(1) Any country outside the Union may accede to this Act and thereby become a member of the Union.
Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Director General.
(2)
(a) With respect to any country outside the Union which deposits its instrument of accession one
month or more before the date of entry into force of any provisions of the present Act, this Act shall enter
into force, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument of accession, on the date upon
which provisions first enter into force pursuant to Article 20(2)(a) or (b); provided that:
(i) if Articles 1 to 12 do not enter into force on that date, such country shall, during the interim
period before the entry into force of such provisions, and in substitution therefor, be bound by
Articles 1 to 12 of the Lisbon Act,
(ii) if Articles 13 to 17 do not enter into force on that date, such country shall, during the interim
period before the entry into force of such provisions, and in substitution therefor, be bound by
Articles 13 and 14(3), (4), and (5), of the Lisbon Act.
If a country indicates a subsequent date in its instrument of accession, this Act shall enter into force with
respect to that country on the date thus indicated.

(b) With respect to any country outside the Union which deposits its instrument of accession on a date
which is subsequent to, or precedes by less than one month, the entry into force of one group of Articles of
the present Act, this Act shall, subject to the proviso of subparagraph (a), enter into force three months after
the date on which its accession has been notified by the Director General, unless a subsequent date has been
indicated in the instrument of accession. In the latter case, this Act shall enter into force with respect to that
country on the date thus indicated.
(3) With respect to any country outside the Union which deposits its instrument of accession after the
date of entry into force of the present Act in its entirety, or less than one month before such date, this Act
shall enter into force three months after the date on which its accession has been notified by the Director
General, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument of accession. In the latter case, this
Act shall enter into force with respect to that country on the date thus indicated.
Article 22

[Consequences of Ratification or Accession]

Subject to the possibilities of exceptions provided for in Articles 20(1)(b) and 28(2), ratification or
accession shall automatically entail acceptance of all the clauses and admission to all the advantages of this
Act.

Article 23

[Accession to Earlier Acts]

After the entry into force of this Act in its entirety, a country may not accede to earlier Acts of this
Convention.

Article 24

[Territories]

(1) Any country may declare in its instrument of ratification or accession, or may inform the Director
General by written notification any time thereafter, that this Convention shall be applicable to all or part of
those territories, designated in the declaration or notification, for the external relations of which it is
responsible.
(2) Any country which has made such a declaration or given such a notification may, at any time, notify
the Director General that this Convention shall cease to be applicable to all or part of such territories.
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(3)
(a) Any declaration made under paragraph (1) shall take effect on the same date as the ratification or
accession in the instrument of which it was included, and any notification given under such paragraph shall
take effect three months after its notification by the Director General.
(b) Any notification given under paragraph (2) shall take effect twelve months after its receipt by the
Director General.
Article 25

[Implementation of the Convention on the Domestic Level]

(1) Any country party to this Convention undertakes to adopt, in accordance with its constitution, the
measures necessary to ensure the application of this Convention.
(2) It is understood that, at the time a country deposits its instrument of ratification or accession, it will be
in a position under its domestic law to give effect to the provisions of this Convention.
Article 26

[Denunciation]

(1) This Convention shall remain in force without limitation as to time.
(2) Any country may denounce this Act by notification addressed to the Director General. Such
denunciation shall constitute also denunciation of all earlier Acts and shall affect only the country making it,
the Convention remaining in full force and effect as regards the other countries of the Union.
(3) Denunciation shall take effect one year after the day on which the Director General has received the
notification.
(4) The right of denunciation provided by this Article shall not be exercised by any country before the
expiration of five years from the date upon which it becomes a member of the Union.
Article 27

[Application of Earlier Acts]

(1) The present Act shall, as regards the relations between the countries to which it applies, and to the
extent that it applies, replace the Convention of Paris of March 20, 1883 and the subsequent Acts of
revision.
(2)
(a) As regards the countries to which the present Act does not apply, or does not apply in its entirety,
but to which the Lisbon Act of October 31, 1958, applies, the latter shall remain in force in its entirety or to
the extent that the present Act does not replace it by virtue of paragraph (1).
(b) Similarly, as regards the countries to which neither the present Act, nor portions thereof, nor the
Lisbon Act applies, the London Act of June 2, 1934, shall remain in force in its entirety or to the extent that
the present Act does not replace it by virtue of paragraph (1).
(c) Similarly, as regards the countries to which neither the present Act, nor portions thereof, nor the
Lisbon Act, nor the London Act applies, the Hague Act of November 6, 1925, shall remain in force in its
entirety or to the extent that the present Act does not replace it by virtue of paragraph (1).
(3) Countries outside the Union which become party to this Act shall apply it with respect to any country
of the Union not party to this Act or which, although party to this Act, has made a declaration pursuant to
Article 20(1)(b)(i). Such countries recognize that the said country of the Union may apply, in its relations
with them, the provisions of the most recent Act to which it is party.
Article 28

[Disputes]

(1) Any dispute between two or more countries of the Union concerning the interpretation or application
of this Convention, not settled by negotiation, may, by any one of the countries concerned, he brought
before the International Court of Justice by application in conformity with the Statute of the Court, unless
the countries concerned agree on some other method of settlement. The country bringing the dispute before
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the Court shall inform the International Bureau; the International Bureau shall bring the matter to the
attention of the other countries of the Union.

(2) Each country may, at the time it signs this Act or deposits its instrument of ratification or accession,
declare that it does not consider itself bound by the provisions of paragraph (1). With regard to any dispute
between such country and any other country of the Union, the provisions of paragraph (1) shall not apply.
(3) Any country having made a declaration in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) may, at
any time, withdraw its declaration by notification addressed to the Director General.
Article 29

[Signature, Languages, Depositary Functions]

(1)
(a) This Act shall be signed in a single copy in the French language and shall be deposited with the
Government of Sweden.
(b) Official texts shall be established by the Director General, after consultation with the interested
Governments, in the English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish languages, and such other
languages as the Assembly may designate.
(c) In case of differences of opinion on the interpretation of the various texts, the French text shall
prevail.
(2) This Act shall remain open for signature at Stockholm until January 13, 1968.
(3) The Director General shall transmit two copies, certified by the Government of Sweden, of the signed
text of this Act to the Governments of all countries of the Union and, on request, to the Government of any
other country.
(4) The Director General shall register this Act with the Secretariat of the United Nations.
(5) The Director General shall notify the Governments of all countries of the Union of signatures,
deposits of instruments of ratification or accession and any declarations included in such instruments or
made pursuant to Article 20(1)(c), entry into force of any provisions of this Act, notifications of
denunciation, and notifications pursuant to Article 24.
Article 30

[Transitional Provisions]

(1) Until the first Director General assumes office, references in this Act to the International Bureau of
the Organization or to the Director General shall be deemed to be references to the Bureau of the Union or
its Director, respectively.
(2) Countries of the Union not bound by Articles 13 to 17 may, until five years after the entry into force
of the Convention establishing the Organization, exercise, if they so desire, the rights provided under
Articles 13 to 17 of this Act as if they were bound by those Articles. Any country desiring to exercise such
rights shall give written notification to that effect to the Director General; such notification shall be effective
from the date of its receipt. Such countries shall be deemed to be members of the Assembly until the
expiration of the said period.
(3) As long as all the countries of the Union have not become Members of the Organization, the
International Bureau of the Organization shall also function as the Bureau of the Union, and the Director
General as the Director of the said Bureau.
(4) Once all the countries of the Union have become Members of the Organization, the rights,
obligations, and property, of the Bureau of the Union shall devolve on the International Bureau of the
Organization.