Amendment of the TRIPS Agreement

WTO members on 6 December 2005 approved changes to the WTO’s intellectual property (TRIPS) agreement in order to make permanent a decision on patents and public health originally adopted in 2003. This was formally built into the TRIPS Agreement after acceptance of the Protocol amending the TRIPS Agreement by two thirds of the WTO’s members. The amendment took effect on 23 January 2017 and replaced the 2003 waiver for members who have accepted the amendment.

Members who are yet to accept the amendment currently have until 31 December 2017 to do so. For them the waiver will continue to apply until a member accepts the amendment and it takes effect for it.

Members and dates of acceptance :

• Albania (28 January 2009)
• Argentina (20 October 2011)
• Australia (12 September 2007)
• Bahrain, Kingdom of (4 August 2009)
• Bangladesh (15 March 2011)
• Belize (15 September 2016)
• Benin (23 November 2016)
• Botswana (18 June 2014)
• Brazil (13 November 2008)
• Brunei Darussalam (10 April 2015)
• Burkina Faso (17 January 2017)
• Cambodia (1 November 2011)
• Canada (16 June 2009)
• Central African Republic (13 January 2014)
• Chile (26 July 2013)
• China (28 November 2007)
• Colombia (7 August 2009)
• Costa Rica (8 December 2011)
• Croatia (6 December 2010)
• Dominica (28 November 2016)
• Dominican Republic (23 May 2013)
• Egypt (18 April 2008)
• El Salvador (19 September 2006)
• European Union (formerly EC) (30 November 2007) (See text of Instrument of Acceptance)
• Fiji (1 May 2017)
• Grenada (8 December 2015)
• Honduras (16 December 2011)
• Hong Kong, China (27 November 2007)
• Iceland (12 October 2015)
• India (26 March 2007)
• Indonesia (20 October 2011)
• Israel (10 August 2007)
• Japan (31 August 2007)
• Jordan (6 August 2008)
• Kenya (21 July 2015)
• Korea, Republic of (24 January 2007)
• Lao People’s Democratic Republic (29 September 2015)
• Lesotho (4 January 2016)
• Liechtenstein (23 January 2017)
• Macao, China (16 June 2009)
• Malaysia (10 December 2015)
• Mali (20 January 2016)
• Mauritius (16 April 2008)
• Mexico (23 May 2008)
• Moldova, Republic of (7 July 2015)
• Mongolia (17 September 2010)
• Montenegro (9 September 2013)
• Morocco (2 December 2008)
• Myanmar (16 December 2015)
• Nepal (11 March 2016)
• New Zealand (21 October 2010)
• Nicaragua (25 January 2010)
• Nigeria (16 January 2017)
• Norway (5 February 2007)
• Oman (1 March 2017)
• Pakistan (8 February 2010)
• Panama (24 November 2011)
• Papua New Guinea (22 June 2016)
• Peru (13 September 2016)
• Philippines (30 March 2007)
• Qatar (16 April 2016)
• Rwanda (12 December 2011)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (27 July 2015)
• Saint Lucia (2 May 2016)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (9 May 2017)
• Samoa (21 April 2016)
• Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of (29 May 2012)
• Senegal (18 January 2011)
• Seychelles (8 June 2016)
• Sierra Leone (21 March 2017)
• Singapore (28 September 2007)
• South Africa (23 February 2016)
• Sri Lanka (9 September 2015)
• Switzerland (13 September 2006)
• Chinese Taipei (31 July 2012)
• Tajikistan (23 May 2016)
• Tanzania (14 March 2016)
• Thailand (28 January 2016)
• The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (16 March 2010)
• Togo (13 March 2012)
• Trinidad and Tobago (19 September 2013)
• Turkey (14 May 2014)
• Uganda (12 July 2010)
• Ukraine (16 March 2016)
• United Arab Emirates (23 January 2017)
• United States (17 December 2005)
• Uruguay (31 July 2014)
• Viet Nam (23 January 2017)
• Zambia (10 August 2009)

Map to see which Members have accepted the amendment :