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  • China constitutes copyright piracy/counterfeiting of works protected in Taiwan.
  • Korea becomes party to the Berne Convention.
  • Santa Lucia becomes party Patent Cooperation Treaty.

SEPTEMBER

  • The Thai legislature enacted a long-awaited law establishing an intellectual property and international trade court. The new court should begin operations in 1997.
  • The President of Paraguay issued a decree on September 26 (Presidential Order No. 14.870) creating the National Anti-piracy Council which is responsible for developing and executing a national anti-piracy campaign.
  • Colombia accedes to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the UPOV Convention.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovia become parties to the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
  • Estonia becomes party to the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms.
  • A new Uzbeki law on copyright and neighboring rights takes effect.
  • The UAE becomes party to the Paris Convention.
  • China becomes party to the Locarno Agreement.
  • Monaco, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the UK become parties to the Trademark Law Treaty.

OCTOBER

  • The U.S. and Portugal jointly notified the WTO Dispute Settlement Body on October 3 that a mutually satisfactory solution to the patent term extension case had been reached.
  • Qatar's 1995 copyright law (Law no. 25) went into effect on October 20, 1996.
  • A U.S.-Cambodia Bilateral Trade Agreement was signed on October 4 that contains intellectual property commitments. The Government of Cambodia is required to draft legislation protecting copyrights, trademarks and patents within 18 months of the Agreement's entry into force, and to use best efforts to enact and implement such legislation within 24 months of entry into force.