Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in the United States

Article 14

(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.

(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
triennial budget of the Union prepared by the Director General;

(iii)approve, within the limits of the program and the triennial budget,
the specific yearly budgets and programs prepared by the Director
General;

(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

(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.

(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.