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Regulations of AIPPI …
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Regulations of AIPPI
DRAFT - SEPTEMBER 25, 2007
Clean Copy
A. MEETINGS
Rule 1 - Meetings of the Association
1.1 A Congress of AIPPI shall take place every second year.
1.2 The agenda of meetings of the Executive Committee shall be proposed by the Bureau; the
Executive Committee may supplement this agenda.
1.3 An AIPPI Forum shall take place every second year, immediately preceding and taking place at
the same location as a stand-alone Executive Committee Meeting.
1.4 The National or Regional Group hosting the next Congress may designate a person of renown to
an honorary position in relation to the Congress to be known by such honorary title as is
consistent with that country's culture and customs and does not conflict with the title of President
and Vice-President respectively of the Association. The role of such person shall be to give
visibility to the said Congress and to assist in its promotion.
Rule 2 - Invitation for holding an AIPPI Meeting
2.1 The Secretary General shall, 9 years before a Congress and 5 years before an Executive
Committee Meeting/Forum, invite the National and Regional Groups to submit invitations for
hosting such Meetings. The Secretary General shall set a deadline for receiving invitations.
2.2 The Bureau shall evaluate the invitations submitted and shall decide in the best interest of the
Association as to which invitations will be further pursued.
2.3 The Secretary General shall request the selected Groups to complete a detailed questionnaire,
prepared by the Bureau, by a given deadline. The questionnaire sets forth the main technical
requirements for hosting an AIPPI Meeting.
2.4 The Bureau shall review all completed questionnaires and shall forward to the Executive
Committee for a decision those invitations which it finds have fulfilled all technical requirements.
2.5 The Executive Committee shall decide on the acceptance of an invitation 8 years before the
respective Congress and 4 years before the respective Executive Committee Meeting/Forum.
2.6 Should there be no invitation or no invitation accepted by the Executive Committee, the Secretary
General shall be responsible for the organization of that Meeting.
Rule 3 - Responsibility for the Organization
3.1 The Host Group for a Meeting shall appoint an Organizing Committee which shall share, with the
Bureau, responsibility for the organization of the Meeting. The Host Group shall also appoint a
Chairperson of the Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee may appoint Sub-
Committees.
3.2 The Organizing Committee shall be composed of Members of the Host Group plus one Member
of the Bureau. It will elect a Chairperson.
3.3 Exceptionally, in the event that a decision of the Organizing Committee, on any matter, is
perceived by the Bureau, not to be in the traditions and best interest of the Association, the
Bureau may override such decision.
Rule 4 - Central Professional Congress Organizer (CPCO)
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4.1 The Bureau may decide to hire a CPCO for any AIPPI Meeting (e.g. Congress, Executive
Committee Meeting or Forum). In that case, the Bureau will select the CPCO.
4.2 If a CPCO is hired, the CPCO will work under the direction of the Organizing Committee and will
work directly with any local Professional Congress Organizer (PCO), destination manager or any
other suppliers as necessary, based on a contract concluded for that meeting between the
Bureau, in consultation with the Organizing Committee, and the CPCO.
4.3 The division of responsibilities between the Organizing Committee and the CPCO is set forth in
the contract.
4.4 In the event a CPCO is not hired the role of the CPCO shall be handled by the Secretariat.
Rule 5 - Meeting Schedule
5.1 A typical Congress shall comprise of at least a General Assembly, an Executive Committee
Meeting, a Meeting of the Council of Presidents, Working Committee Meetings, Plenary
Sessions, Workshops and a Bureau Meeting. The Bureau shall prepare a typical schedule.
5.2 A typical Executive Committee Meeting shall comprise of at least an Executive Committee
Meeting, a Meeting of the Council of Presidents, Working Committee Meetings, Plenary
Sessions, and a Bureau Meeting. The Bureau shall prepare a typical schedule.
5.3 A typical Forum shall immediately precede a stand-alone Executive Committee Meeting and shall
comprise information sessions including a Workshop on the working methods of AIPPI and
Workshops based on regional topics. The Bureau shall prepare a typical schedule.
Rule 6 - Finances
6.1 The CPCO shall manage and control a separate Meetings account for each Congress, stand-
alone Executive Committee Meeting and Forum. The Organizing Committee shall have access to
all information on the accounts of its Meetings at any time.
6.2 All Meetings, and particularly a Forum and an Executive Committee normally conducted jointly,
shall have separate budgets and accounts.
6.3 The profit or loss of an AIPPI Meeting shall be equally shared by the Host Group and the AIPPI
General Treasury.
6.4 If a Group wishes to arrange for translations other than those provided in Article 16.2 of the
Statutes, it shall bear the additional expenses thereby incurred, from its own funds.
Rule 7 - Invitations to attend AIPPI Meetings
7.1 Invitations to AIPPI Meetings shall be made in the name of the Association by the host Group
and the Bureau and shall be sent at least four months before the opening of the Meeting.
7.2 The Bureau shall decide on the invitations to be extended to Governments, Governmental
Organizations, and non-Governmental Organizations and to individuals.
7.3 In case of an Executive Committee Meeting, the names of the Delegates and Reporters shall be
communicated to the Secretary General by the Group at least two months before the Meeting
with an indication of the Working or Special Committee to which they belong. Each Group may,
prior to the Meeting, appoint Substitute Delegates or Reporters to replace Delegates or Reporters
already appointed, but prevented from participating in the Meeting. The name of the Substitute
shall be communicated to the Secretary General prior to the Meeting.
7.4 In case of an Executive Committee Meeting, the host Group, with the consent of the Bureau, may
invite a number of Members of the Group and dignitaries of its country to participate in certain
sessions, as observers without the right to vote, as well as in the social programme.
7.5 If a President of a Group in case of a Council of Presidents Meeting is not sufficiently familiar with
a subject on the agenda, that President may, with the consent of the Secretary General, be
accompanied by one adviser and, in exceptional cases, additionally by a translator or an
assistant who have no right to vote.
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7.6 The Bureau may decide to invite other persons to attend sessions of the Executive Committee as
guests or observers without the right to vote.
7.7 The Bureau may decide to invite other persons to attend sessions of the Council of Presidents,
without the right to vote.
B. AWARDS
Rule 8 - AIPPI Awards
8.1 Natural persons who have made particularly noteworthy contributions to the Association or to its
objectives may be recognized by their appointment as Presidents of Honour or Members of
Honour, or by the grant to them of an AIPPI Award of Merit. They shall be elected by the Council
of Presidents upon the joint proposal of the Bureau and the Nominating Committee, after prior
consultation with the relevant National or Regional Group. National and Regional Groups may
submit proposals to the Bureau at any time. The Award will be presented at AIPPI Meetings,
published in the Yearbook and the names will be listed separately in the AIPPI Membership list.
8.2 Presidents of Honour are Members of Honour who are exceptionally distinguished in the field of
intellectual property and have given exceptional service to the Association.
8.3 Members of Honour are Natural Persons, having displayed outstanding merits in promoting the
objects of the Association.
8.4 Award of Merit: Members of AIPPI who have distinguished themselves in an outstanding way:
(a) in connection with the international activities of AIPPI, and in particular as Officers of AIPPI
Committees or as Representatives of AIPPI;
(b) in a long term leadership function in a National or Regional Group of AIPPI as organizers of
international events;
(c) other unique contributions to the fulfillment of the aims of the Association.
Exceptionally, Non-Members may be honoured by the Award for bringing extraordinary benefit to the
Association.
C. WORKING METHODS
Rule 9 - Working Programme
9.1 Normally Questions should be placed on the Working Programme by the Executive Committee,
either on the proposal of the Programme Committee after consultation with the Bureau, or on the
proposal of the Bureau and, as far as possible, after consultation with the Programme Committee.
9.2 In a case of urgency, the Bureau may place Questions on the Working Programme. It will, if
possible, consult beforehand with the Programme Committee.
Rule 10 - Working Bodies
10.1 The Questions on the Working Programme will be prepared by the following bodies:
(a) The National and Regional Groups, which shall study the Questions and prepare Reports;
(b) Working Committees under the direction of a Chairperson appointed by the Bureau, which
may include one representative from each National or Regional Group;
(c) Special Committees appointed by the Bureau when the nature of the Question so
determines, or when urgency requires.
Rule 11 - Working Documents
11.1 The preparatory work on a Question may comprise the preparation of the following documents:
(a) Working Guidelines intended to assist the preparation of the Reports;
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(b) Reports from National and Regional Groups, from Members of such Groups or from
Independent Members;
(c) Reports from the Working or Special Committees, which should also take account of
important minority opinions;
(d) a Summary Report marshalling all the elements resulting from the preparation of the work
and presenting the points of the Question for discussion before the Executive Committee
or the Congress;
(e) draft Resolutions or Reports.
Rule 12 - Working Procedure
12.1 The Bureau is responsible for organizing the work of the Association, for establishing a timetable
for the progress of the work and for designating the bodies to carry out the preparatory work.
12.2 The Reporter General is responsible for the following tasks:
(a) the preparation of Working Guidelines for each Question placed on the Working
Programme, in cooperation with the Chairperson of the Programme Committee and the
Chairperson of the relevant Working or Special Committee;
(b) on each Question placed on the Working Programme, the presentation of a Summary
Report, in co-operation with the Chairperson of the relevant Working or Special
Committee;
(c) co-operating with the Chairpersons of Working and Special Committees to settle the terms
of draft Resolutions and Presentations proposed by them.
12.3 As a rule, the Reporter General is responsible for presenting the main points of the Question
under discussion to the Congress or to the Executive Committee. The Reporter General may be
assisted by the Chairperson of the relevant Working or Special Committee.
12.4 The persons appointed as Chairperson and Co-Chairperson of a Working Committee should
have expertise in, or at least have a good knowledge of, the subject of the Question under study.
12.5 The Chairperson of the Working Committee, with the assistance of the Co-Chairperson and the
Secretary of the Committee, is responsible for the following tasks:
(a) consulting with the Reporter General in the preparation of the Working Guidelines;
(b) with the assistance of the Secretary General, requesting National and Regional Groups to
nominate a representative to the Working Committee;
(c) within the overall timetable of the Working Programme, establishing a suitable timetable
for the progress of the study of the Question and notifying the members of the Working
Committee accordingly;
(d) assisting the Reporter General in the preparation of the Summary Report;
(e) on the basis of the Summary Report and in cooperation with the Reporter General,
preparing a draft outline of a Resolution or Report, which shall be circulated together with
the Summary Report to the members of the Working Committee, inviting responses from
them within a specified period;
(f) after receiving responses from Members of the Working Committee, and after such further
correspondence and/or discussion as may seem desirable, preparing a final draft
Resolution which shall be transmitted to the Secretary General and to the Reporter
General, and by the Secretary General to the Presidents of the National and Regional
Groups and all registered Delegates of the Executive Committee, inviting recipients of the
final draft Resolution to send to the Chairperson comments on the draft Resolution by a
specified date;
(g) preparing and circulating to the Reporter General and all Members of the Working
Committee a draft Presentation to the Executive Committee or Congress, for the purpose
of explaining the background to the Resolution and the reasoning of the Working
Committee, and inviting comments on the draft presentation;
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(h) meeting with the Working Committee before the Executive Committee meeting or
Congress at which any Resolution or Report is due to be debated/adopted to finalize the
wording of the Presentation and Resolution;
(i) when conducting meetings of the Working Committee, ensuring that all of the National and
Regional Groups represented at the meeting have an opportunity to express their
opinions;
(j) where a substantial agreement cannot be reached in the Working Committee, including in
the draft Resolution or Report significant alternative propositions, on which a vote can be
taken;
(k) ensuring that accurate translations of the Resolution or Report are prepared in good time
for all the relevant language versions to be available to Delegates attending the Executive
Committee or Congress Session which will debate the same;
(l) taking part in the work of the Drafting Committee referred to in Rule 19.2 below.
12.6 The names of the Chairperson, Co-Chairperson and Secretary of the Working Committee shall
be mentioned in the relevant documents concerning the work of that Committee.
Rule 13 - Resolutions
13.1 As a rule, the Executive Committee will adopt Resolutions on the Questions which are submitted
to it.
13.2 In the case of urgency, the Council of Presidents shall adopt Resolutions.
13.3 The Congress shall discuss the Questions on its Working Programme following the same
guidelines as the Executive Committee.
13.4 The Congress can make recommendations which shall be submitted to the Executive Committee
for final decision.
Rule 14 - Languages and Distribution of Reports
14.1 The Working Guidelines, the Reports of Committees, the Summary Reports and the Resolutions
shall be submitted in French, English and German.
14.2 The Reports of National and Regional Groups, Members of such Groups and Independent
Members shall be submitted in writing in French, English or German, and shall be accompanied
by Summaries in the other two languages.
They shall be sent to the Reporter General, to the Secretary General and to the Chairperson, Co-
Chairperson and the Secretary of the Working or Special Committee, to meet time limits
determined by the Bureau.
Rule 15 - Members and Duties of Committees
15.1 The Members of the Bureau are ex officio Members of all Working Committees and Special
Committees of the Association.
PROGRAMME COMMITTEE
15.2 The term of office of the Chairperson and each of the Members shall normally be from the day
after the meeting of the Executive Committee at which they are elected until the day after the last
session of the Executive Committee at which elections take place, held in the second year after
their election. The Chairperson and each Member shall be eligible for re-election, but shall not
hold the same office within the Committee for more than three consecutive full terms. If no
successor is elected, the Members may remain in office until a successor has been elected.
15.3 The Programme Committee shall:
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a) inform itself on topical matters relating to intellectual property; and receive reports
from the Communications Committee regarding intelligence relevant to IP and AIPPI;
b) solicit suggestions for questions from the Association and prepare its working
programme;
c) present to the Executive Committee questions proposed for future consideration after
consultation with the Bureau and indicate the interest and the significance of such
questions to the Association;
d) perform other duties as established by the Statutes and Regulations, or otherwise
entrusted to it by the Executive Committee or by the Bureau;
e) after consultation with the Bureau, prepare the Working Programme of the
Association.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
15.4 The Chairperson and the other Members of the Nominating Committee shall be elected by the
Council of Presidents from candidates proposed by the Bureau, by the Nominating Committee or
by any of the National and Regional Groups. The term of office of the Chairperson and each
Member shall normally be from the day after the meeting of the Council of Presidents at which
they are elected until the day after the last session of the Council of Presidents at which elections
take place held in the second year after their election. The Chairperson and each Member shall
be eligible for re-election, but shall not hold the same office within the Committee for more than
two consecutive full terms. Members while serving on the Nominating Committee shall be
ineligible to become a candidate for any other elective position.
15.5 The Nominating Committee shall inform itself of Members of the Association having qualifications
suitable to be candidates for elective positions. In addition to its primary duty, it may also refer to
the Bureau the names of Members having qualifications suitable for non-elective positions filled by
the Bureau. It shall also undertake tasks as directed by the Bureau.
15.6 If a vacancy in the Nominating Committee should occur between meetings of the Council of
Presidents, the Bureau may appoint any Member of the Association who is willing to act to fill that
vacancy. A Member so appointed shall hold office only until the end of the next following meeting of
the Council of Presidents. If not elected to the Nominating Committee by the Council of Presidents
at such a meeting that Member shall vacate office at the conclusion of the last session thereof.
FINANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
15.7 The term of office of the Chairperson and each of the Members shall normally be from the day
after the meeting of the Executive Committee at which they are elected until the day after the last
session of the Executive Committee at which elections take place, held in the second year after
their election.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
15.8 The Membership Committee is the bridge between the membership-at-large and the Bureau. In
other words it collects and investigates suggestions and concerns of the membership, and makes
recommendations to the Bureau. The Membership Committee:
15.8.1 makes recommendations on how to improve the services that AIPPI can offer to best serve its
members to enhance the attraction of AIPPI to members and especially to attract new members;
15.8.2 of its own initiative and/or on the suggestion of the members, makes recommendations to the
Bureau and in some cases, in consultation with the Secretary General, implements ways and means
to increase membership in various parts of the world and specifically in sectors of activity, not well
represented in AIPPI;
15.8.3 conducts surveys of members interests and needs;
15.8.4 recommends to the Bureau and implements, with the approval of the Bureau, initiatives to support
new members.
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15.8.5 The Chair and members of the Committee are elected by the Executive Committee on the
recommendation of the Council of Presidents from a selection of members prepared by the
Nominating Committee. The committee is made up of between 6 and 12 members selected from as
diverse a background.
15.8.6 reports to the Members on its activities; and
15.8.7 does not liase between the Bureau and the National or Regional Groups, this being the sole
jurisdiction of the Secretary General.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
15.9 The Communications Committee is established with a chair and members drawn from a wide sectorial diversity
and different IP experiences. The chair and members are elected by the Executive Committee on the
recommendation of the Council of Presidents from candidates selected by the Nominating Committee;
15.9.1 The membership of the Committee has, as non-elected, ex-officio members: at least a member of the
Programme Committee, the Reporter General, and the Secretary General;
15.9.2 The Communications Committee is an Advisory Committee to the Bureau and implements the wishes
of the Bureau; in that sense it reports to the Bureau;
15.9.3 The first responsibility of the Communications Committee will be the gathering of intelligence from all
venues around the world and to analyse what is relevant to IP and AIPPI from which periodical and
special reports are made to the Programme Committee and the Reporter General;
15.9.4 The second and as important a responsibility is the dissemination of information including:
15.9.5 periodic publication of important news to the members;
15.9.6 It is the official Webmaster of the website including proposing continuous updating and improvement
of the content and including the depository of approved IP articles from members, from working
committees and notices of upcoming forums that may be of interest to the members;
15.9.7 The Committee is responsible for the dissemination of information produced by AIPPI and especially
by the Reporter General destined for cultural, business and general audiences.
15.9.8 The Committee assumes the role as the custodian of the history of the Association; and
15.9.9 A professional communications expert may be hired, when determined by the Bureau, as a member of
the Secretariat to implement many of the communications tasks.
D. ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL MATTERS
Rule 16 - Administrative and Financial Matters
16.1 Administrative and financial matters shall be placed on the Agenda of a meeting by the Executive
Committee on the proposal of the Bureau.
16.2 The Secretary General is responsible for the preparation of administrative matters, including
Events and Communications, the latter in cooperation with the Reporter General. The Secretary
General is also responsible for Internal Relations with National and Regional Groups including
monitoring their governance and Independent Members..
16.3 The Treasurer General is responsible for the preparation of financial matters.
16.4 The agenda of Congress sessions shall be sent to the Members at least one month before the
opening of the Congress.
16.5 The Congress shall be chaired by the President, or in the place of the President by the Vice-
President.
16.6 The General Assembly shall be called at least four months before it is to be convened.
16.7 The agenda of the General Assembly shall be determined by the Executive Committee and shall
be sent to the members at least six weeks before the meeting. If possible, any proposed
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Resolution will be sent together with the agenda. The Bureau is entitled to add to the agenda any
item of urgency.
16.8 At the request of at least 100 members from at least five National and Regional Groups, the
Bureau shall insert an item in the agenda. Any such request shall be presented to the Bureau at
least three months before the meeting of the General Assembly.
16.9 The number of Delegates from each National Group shall be as follows:
Number of Members in Group Number of Delegates
(additional to the President of the Group)
10 - 49 Members 1 Delegate
50 - 74 Members 2 Delegates
75 - 99 Members 3 Delegates
100 - 124 Members 4 Delegates
125 - 149 Members 5 Delegates
150 - 199 Members 6 Delegates
200 - 249 Members 7 Delegates
250 - 299 Members 8 Delegates
300 - 349 Members 9 Delegates
350 - 399 Members 10 Delegates
400 - 499 Members 11 Delegates
500 - 599 Members 12 Delegates
600 - 699 Members 13 Delegates
700 - 799 Members 14 Delegates
800 - 999 Members 15 Delegates
1000 - 1199 Members 16 Delegates
1200 - 1399 Members 17 Delegates
1400 Members and over 18 Delegates
16.10 The number of Delegates from each Regional Group shall be as follows:
Number of Members in Group Number of Delegates
(additional to the President of the Group)
8 - 14 Members 1 Delegate
15 - 24 Members 2 Delegates
25 - 99 Members 3 Delegates
100 Members and over same number of Delegates as for Nation-
16.11 The Bureau may appoint up to six Delegates to represent the Independent Members. In
appointing such Delegates, it shall take into consideration proposed nominations made by
Independent Members and having regard to an appropriate geographic representation after
consultation of the Presidents of the National and Regional Groups on the proposed
nominations.
16.12 When voting by correspondence, the National or Regional Groups shall be represented by their
Presidents. Each such President shall be entitled in addition to his/her personal vote to the
number of votes corresponding to the number of Delegates to which his/her Group is entitled in
accordance with Regulations 16.9 and 16.10.
16.13 When a vote of the Executive Committee is to be taken by correspondence the Secretary
General shall set a date by which all votes are to be received by the Secretary General. All votes
received after that date shall be disregarded.
16.14 The Delegates for the Independent Members and other Members forming part of the Executive
Committee, in their own personal right, shall each have one vote.
E. ELECTIONS
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Rule 17 Elections and Period of Office of Members of the Bureau
17.1 The Council of Presidents shall prepare the elections to be made by the Executive Committee in
accordance with Article 6.7 (a) of the Statutes in the following manner:
(a) The Council of Presidents shall consider the candidates proposed by the Nominating
Committee in accordance with Section 7.6 of the Statutes and after having given due
consideration to the recommendations made by the Nominating Committee shall make its
recommendations to the Executive Committee.
(b) The Council of Presidents and the Nominating Committee will normally recommend one
candidate for any given function but may as an exception submit more than one candidate.
(c) The Bureau shall inform the candidates of the recommendations of the Council of
Presidents.
17.2 Candidates may be proposed to the Nominating Committee:
by the Bureau;
by the Nominating Committee;
by any National or Regional Group; or
by at least 50 Members of the Association.
17.3 In the last two cases the candidates' names shall be delivered to the Bureau for transmission to
the Nominating Committee at least three months before the relevant meeting.
17.4 The Bureau shall:
in due time invite the National and Regional Groups through their Presidents to present
nominations and
forward all proposals received together with its own proposals and any comments to the
Nominating Committee at least three months before the relevant meeting.
17.5 The Nominating Committee shall forward its proposals to the Council of Presidents at least one
month before the relevant meeting.
17.6 The Executive Committee shall only consider candidates submitted by the Council of Presidents.
17.7 The elected Members, other than the President and the Vice-President and the Congress
Chairperson, may be eligible for re-election, but no Member of the Bureau shall hold the same
office within the Bureau for more than two consecutive full terms.
17.8 If no successor is elected, the elected Member may remain in office until a successor has been
elected.
17.9 The President and the Vice-President shall not be eligible for re-election but shall hold the same
office for one full term.
17.10 A Congress Chairperson is a member of the Host Group and is a member of the Bureau. The
Congress Chairperson shall serve one full term from the day after the Congress immediately
preceding the Congress for which he/she is chairing until the day after that Congress.
17.11 In the case of a vacancy as defined in Article 8.4 of the Statutes, the following procedure will be
followed:
17.11.1 In the case of the position of President, Reporter General, Secretary General
becoming vacant, the Bureau will appoint the current Vice President, one of the
Deputy Reporters General, Deputy Secretary General, respectively, as a replacement.
17.11.2 In the case of the position of Vice president or Treasurer becoming vacant, the
Bureau, in consultation with the President of the Nominating Committee, may appoint
a replacement from members at large. The replacement's term ends at the last
session of next Executive Committee meeting.
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17.11.3 In the case of the position of a Deputy Reporter General or the Deputy Secretary
General becoming vacant, the Bureau, in consultation with the President of the
Nominating Committee, may appoint a replacement from members at large. The
replacement's term ends at the last session of the next Executive Committee meeting.
17.11.4In the case of the position of Congress Chair becoming vacant, the Nominating
Committee, in cooperation with the Host Group selects a new Congress Chair for the
remainder of the term which ends at the end of the Congress.
17.11.5 In the case of the positions of Assistants to the Reporter General and to the
Secretary General, the Bureau, in consultation with the President of the Nominating
Committee, may appoint a replacement from members at large. The replacement's
term ends at the last session of the next Executive Committee meeting.
17.11.6The replacements with the exception of Congress Chair may stand for election at the
next Executive Committee Meeting. The maximum number of terms to be served in
the new position is not influenced by the time spent as a replacement.
F. SESSIONS OF CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS
Rule 18 - Speeches and Rules of Debate
18.1 Sessions of Congresses and of Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be chaired by a
Chairperson of the Session nominated in accordance with Article 6.4 of the Statutes, who shall
be assisted, where appropriate by the Reporter General or one of the Deputy Reporters General
and by a speaker, such as the Chairperson or a Member of a Working Committee.
For any session of Congresses and of Meetings of the Executive Committee dealing with specific
questions of intellectual property, the Bureau may appoint an acting Chairperson having relevant
experience and expertise.
18.2 The duration of the opening statement concerning the Question under study normally will not
exceed ten minutes. The duration of speeches of subsequent speakers will be limited to three
minutes. The Chairperson of the Session shall have discretion to vary these limits.
18.3 (a) The opening statement should identify those aspects of the Question known to be
controversial and should outline the opposing views.
(b) National and Regional Groups will, where possible, nominate one person (for example the
National or Regional Delegate to the relevant Working Committee) to represent the views
of the Group at the Session, without restricting the right of personal intervention of any
participant.
(c) All speakers shall preface their intervention by stating whether they are speaking on behalf
of a Group or on their own behalf.
(d) A second intervention on any given point under debate will, in general, be permitted by the
Chairperson of the Session only after the regular list of speakers on that point has been
exhausted.
18.4 Draft Resolutions
Resolutions should be drafted as a series of individually numbered paragraphs and sub-
paragraphs, so that at all times it is quite clear what part of the Resolution is under debate.
Recitals and/or explanatory text should be clearly identified as such and should not normally be
debated.
18.5 Speakers
After each paragraph of a draft Resolution has been introduced, the Chairperson shall invite
speakers from the floor. Intending speakers shall normally have given notice in writing to the
Chairperson stating:
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(a) their name;
(b) their Group;
(c) whether they wish to speak in a personal capacity or on behalf of their Group; and
(d) whether any, and if so what, amendments to that paragraph of the draft Resolution are
proposed by them.
Unless the Chairperson permits otherwise (if necessary after adjourning a decision on the
amendment) every proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing before a vote is taken.
18.6 Order of speaking
While the Chairperson will normally call upon speakers in the order in which they have given
notice pursuant to para. 18.5 above, any other order may be adopted which in the exercise of the
Chairperson's discretion may seem more logical and/or desirable in all the circumstances.
18.7 Number of speakers
The Chairperson may limit the number of speakers once it seems clear that a vote should be
taken on the issue. In that event, the question under debate shall be put to the meeting for a vote.
18.8 Amendments
An amendment shall be relevant to the text under debate and shall be:
(a) to leave out words; or
(b) to leave out words and insert or add others; or
(c) to insert or add words;
but such omission, insertion or addition of words will not have the effect of negating the motion
before the meeting.
18.9 Restrictions on speeches
A speaker who has spoken on any motion shall not speak again while it is the subject of debate,
except:
(a) to speak once on an amendment moved by another speaker;
(b) if the motion has been amended since the speaker last spoke, to move a further
amendment;
(c) if the speaker's first speech was on an amendment moved by another speaker, to speak
on the main issue, whether or not the amendment was carried;
(d) on a point of order;
(e) when invited to speak by the Chairperson, who shall bear in mind the desirability of giving
the person proposing an amendment the opportunity of replying to defend that
amendment.
18.10 Points of order
(a) A person may rise on a point of order and shall be entitled to be heard forthwith.
A point of order shall relate only to an alleged breach of these Rules or the Statutes and
the person shall specify the Rule or the Article of the Statutes and the way in which it is
alleged that it has been broken.
(b) The ruling of the Chairperson on a point of order shall not be open to discussion.
18.11 Voting on amendments
Where several amendments are proposed to the same text under debate, the Chairperson will
decide the order in which amendments are voted upon. The Chairperson will have regard to the
following principles:
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(a) Where a second amendment amends a first amendment the second shall be voted upon
first. The first amendment will then be put, either with or without amendment by the second
amendment, depending on the result of the first vote.
(b) Amendments should normally be taken in the order in which they arise in the text under
debate. They need not be taken in the order in which they are proposed.
(c) Each paragraph presenting the views of AIPPI shall, when all amendments to it have been
voted on, be voted on a as a whole.
(d) Each resolution shall, when voting on each paragraph has been completed, be voted on
as a whole.
18.12 The Executive Committee may establish further Rules of Debate.
Rule 19 Decisions
Decisions
19.1 The deliberations of the Congress, Executive Committee and - where applicable - those of the
Council of Presidents should conclude with a decision, which should include, where
appropriate, Resolutions and recommendations in the name of the Association as well as
guidelines for any further action to be taken.
19.2 The editing of the texts of the Resolutions and of the recommendations will be performed by a
Drafting Committee under the Chairpersonship of the Reporter General or one of the Deputy
Reporters General.
19.3 Minutes shall be prepared in respect of meetings of the General Assembly, Sessions of the
Executive Committee and the Council of Presidents, and Plenary Sessions of Congresses
under the responsibility of the Reporter General. These shall contain at least the conclusions
and the principal views expressed, including important minority opinions.
The Bureau is responsible for the preparation of the Minutes, in French, English and German.
19.4 When a vote is taken, separate counts shall be taken of votes for, votes against, and
expressed abstentions. Where the Statutes and Regulations provide that the majority shall be
determined on the basis of those having taken part in a vote, expression of abstention shall be
regarded as a vote. For the purpose of determining quorum and decisions in the event of
electronic voting, a person participating in that vote shall be deemed to be `present'.
19.5 The Resolutions, recommendations and other decisions of the Association shall be
communicated by the Secretary General to the National and Regional Groups.
Rule 20 - Meetings and Decisions of the Bureau
20.1 The Bureau shall meet upon convocation by the President, or the Secretary General, or at the
request of three of its Members.
20.2 The Bureau may debate and vote by correspondence.
20.3 Each member of the Bureau has a vote which shall be independently exercised in the best interest of the
Association.
20.4 The Bureau shall keep formal minutes of its decisions, normally prepared by the Secretary General. The
minutes of the decisions shall be transparent and therefore available to the Members of the Association.
However separate minutes of its deliberations shall be kept confidential.
20.5 Normally, the Bureau shall meet twice a year, once in conjunction with Congresses or Executive Committee
meetings and once at a separate meeting determined by the Bureau.
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20.6 Decisions of the Bureau shall be taken by ballot with a majority of its Members plus one vote at
meetings or by correspondence.
20.7 The Quorum of the Bureau shall be two thirds (2/3) of the members entitled to vote.
20.8 Only the Bureau members shall have the right to vote at Bureau Élargi meetings.
G. PUBLICATIONS
Rule 21 - Publications
21.1 The Association shall publish by electronic or other means such of its proceedings as may be
determined by the Executive Committee including:
(a) the Reports of meetings of the General Assembly, Sessions of the Executive Committee
and the Council of Presidents, and Plenary Sessions of Congresses;
(b) Programmes, Working Guidelines, Group Reports, Reports of Members of Groups or of
Independent Members, Committee Reports and Summary Reports;
(c) Resolutions and recommendations of the Association.
21.2.1 The Bureau may supplement such publications with other documents, Reports, or observations
which the Bureau has decided should be published.
21.3 The Reports of the Membership Committee shall be published as part of one or more of the
Publications of the Bureau.
Rule 22 - List of Members and Directory
22.1 Each National and Regional Group shall, on request, send to the Secretary General a current list
of its Members.
22.2 A list of Members of the Association shall be published at such frequency and in such manner as
may be determined by the Executive Committee.
The Secretary General shall carry out the publication of the lists.
22.3 The list of Members shall only be used in the interests of the Association and under the control of
the Bureau; it shall not be used for purposes other than those of the Association, and in particular
shall not be used for commercial purposes.
22.4 A Directory listing all the Officers of the Association shall be published as a rule every year.
H. MEMBERSHIP
Rule 23 - Request for Recognition of National and Regional Groups and for
Admission of Independent Members
23.1 Requests for recognition of a National or a Regional Group shall be addressed to the Secretary
General.
The request shall be accompanied by the following documents:
(a) the Statutes of the Group, with a translation into French, English or German, if necessary;
(b) a list of the names and addresses of the Members of the Group and also for natural
persons, their profession, and for legal entities the names of their representatives;
(c) a list of the names of the Members forming the Council of the Group, indicating the offices
held.
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23.2 A National or Regional Group may only be recognized:
(a) if the requirements of the Statutes, in particular Article 4.1 or 4.2, are met;
(b) if a confirmation of the Secretary General is submitted, according to which the Statutes of
the new National or Regional Group are in harmony with the Statutes and Regulations of
the Association;
(c) if in the opinion of the Executive Committee the new Group is viable and able to contribute
actively to the promotion of the protection of intellectual property in the country, region for
which it requests to be admitted.
23.3 Requests for admission as an Independent Member shall be addressed to the Secretary General.
The request shall be accompanied by the following documents:
(a) a curriculum vitae as well as detailed information concerning the education and
professional activity of the candidate;
(b) the names of two Members of the Association who support the request.
Rule 24 - Members
24.1 Membership shall be open to any person that satisfies the requirements of Article 3.2 of the
Statutes.
24.2 Persons residing in or having their professional or business activity principally in the same region
consisting of two or more countries, where there is no National Group, may form a Regional
Group of the Association. National and Regional Groups may only admit as active Members
persons having their professional or business activity principally in the country, or the region of
two or more countries, of the respective Group. Exceptions to this principle may be authorized by
the Bureau after consulting the National or Regional Group concerned.
24.3 Only one Group may be recognized for a particular country or region. No Member may be an
active Member of more than one Group of the Association at the same time.
24.4 Unless the Bureau decides otherwise at the time of the recognition of a new Group, Members
previously admitted from a country covered by the new Group shall retain their membership of
the Association, unless upon invitation to become a Member of the new Group they decline or fail
to accept membership of the new Group within one year.
24.5 Persons residing in or having their professional or business activity principally in the same
country may form a National Group of the Association, provided that membership of such Group
is open to all Members previously admitted from that country, such Members have been informed
accordingly and the formation of such Group is supported explicitly by the majority of such
Members.
24.6 Natural persons and legal entities which have their residence or professional or business activity
principally in a country where there is no National or Regional Group may be admitted as
Independent Members on the proposal of two Members of the Association.
24.7 Each Member which is not a natural person shall be entitled to be represented at any given time
by one natural person only.
24.8 Membership in any newly formed Regional Group shall be open to all Members previously
admitted from the countries of such Group, provided that such Members have been informed
accordingly and the formation of such Group is supported explicitly by the majority of such
Members.
24.9 Before consideration by the Executive Committee of a request for recognition by a National or
Regional Group, the proposed Statutes and Bylaws or Regulations of the Group shall be
submitted to the Secretary General for a determination by the Bureau that they are in harmony
with the Statutes and Regulations of the Association. National or Regional Groups shall also
submit any proposed revisions to their Statutes, By-laws or Regulations to the Secretary General
for a similar determination.
Rule 25 - Register of Members (subject to amendments to be adopted in Singapore)
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25.1 The Register of Members shall be administered and kept up-to-date by the Secretary General.
25.2 Each National and Regional Group shall promptly, but in any event before January 15 in each
year, notify the Secretary General of the names and relevant professional data of Members newly
added to or deleted from their Group in the previous year, and also any other change.
25.3 Independent Members shall promptly notify the Secretary General of changes in their address
and relevant professional data, and their resignation from the Association.
25.4
(a) Independent Members in arrears for at least two years but less than four years may be
suspended from Membership and all of the rights pertaining thereto until all arrears have
been paid.
(b) Independent Members in arrears for four years or more shall be struck off the Register of
Members of the Association. Such Members may, upon payment of all arrears, be re-
admitted to the Association in accordance with the procedure required of new applicants
for Membership in the Association.
25.5 Committees shall promptly notify the Secretary General of their Members and any subsequent
changes.
I. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PAYMENTS
Rule 26 - Payment of Subscriptions (subject to amendments to be adopted in Singapore)
26.1 Subscriptions to the Association are due on the first of January of each year.
26.2 The National and Regional Groups shall transmit to the Association the subscriptions for the
Members of their Group within three months of the due date. The total amount is determined by
the number of Members of the National or Regional Group on the first of January of the relevant
year.
26.3 New members joining the Association shall pay a full year's subscription for the year in which
they join if they join before the date of the annual Executive Committee Meeting or Congress of
that year. No subscription shall be due from a member joining after that date.
26.4 Independent Members shall pay their subscription to the Association before the end of January of
each year.
26.5 The Treasurer General shall specify the account into which the subscriptions shall be paid, and in
what currency, free of costs and taxes.
26.6 Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the Treasurer General.
26.7 If a National or Regional Group does not pay its subscription, the Executive Committee may suspend that
Group and its Members after arrears of two years.
The Executive Committee may withdraw recognition from that Group and to exclude the
Members of that Group after arrears of four years.
If an Independent Member does not pay his or her subscription, the Council of Presidents may
suspend that Member after arrears of two years and to exclude that Member after arrears of four
years.
26.8 The Executive Committee may decide on a reduced rate of subscription to the Association for
natural persons forming different categories of members e.g. junior members.
26.9 The amount of the subscriptions for Junior Members and other categories of members shall be
determined by the Executive Committee, but the application of this provision rests with each
National or Regional Group.
Rule 27 - Costs of Distribution of Publications
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27.1 Each National and Regional Group shall indicate to the Secretary General the means to be used
for distribution of printed publications to the Members of that Group.
27.2 The costs of distribution shall be charged to the respective Groups. Payment shall be made into
an account to be specified by the Secretary General. The Secretary General is entitled to require
advance payments from the Groups.
For Independent Members the costs of distribution shall be added as a single lump sum amount
to the annual subscription.
Rule 29 - Reimbursement of Expenses
The Secretary General shall reimburse to Members of the Bureau and to representatives of the
Association the traveling and hotel expenses advanced by them for performance of their duties.
The Bureau shall determine the details of this reimbursement.
J. DEFINITIONS
Rule 30 Definitions
`Intellectual property' within the purview of the Association shall include without limitation:
patents, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain
names, copyright, integrated circuits, indications of source, appellations of origin, plant varieties,
genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore and trade secrets.
`Correspondence"" for the purpose of conducting meetings and votes shall include, mail,
telephone, audio conference, video conference, e-mail, internet chat sites, and any other
acceptable electronic or other means of communication.
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These Regulations were adopted by the Executive Committee, under Article 6.8 of the Statutes of the
Association in Paris, on May 28, 1983, and amended in Rio de Janeiro in May 1985, in Tokyo in April
1992, in Copenhagen in June 1994, in Rio de Janeiro on May 25, 1998, in Melbourne on March 30,
2001, in Lisbon on June 21, 2002, in Berlin on September 28, 2005 and in Gothenburg on October 9,
2006. They come into force in the amended form on October 9, 2006. INSERT TEXT REGARDING
THIS AMENDMENT.
The President: The Secretary General:
The Reporter General: The Treasurer General:
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