Consider the following statements: 1. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is a specialised agency of United Nations System of Organisations 2. WIPO has its headquarters at Rome 3. The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement is binding on all WTO members 4. Least developed country members of WTO are not required to apply the provisions of TRIPS Agreements for a period of 20 years from the general date of application of the Agreement Which of these statements are correct?

Statement 1 is correct: WIPO is a United Nations specialized agency and its mandate and status are described accordingly; its headquarters are in Geneva, not Rome [1]. Statement 2 is therefore incorrect. Statement 3 is correct: the TRIPS Agreement is the comprehensive WTO agreement on intellectual property and was signed by all WTO members, making its rules binding on them as WTO obligations [2]. Statement 4 is incorrect: least-developed country (LDC) members were granted extended transition periods and specific dates (initially to 1 January 2006, later extended to 1 July 2013, with further extensions for pharmaceuticals), not a uniform 20-year exemption from the general date of application [3]. Hence the correct choice is option 4 (1 and 3).

Sources

1. [1] https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/00307-EN.pdf
2. [2] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 18: International Economic Institutions > Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights > p. 542
3. [3] https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/tripfq_e.htm