Cooperation

Letter From Mexico to Canada

February 4, 2016

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland
Minister of International Trade
Canada

Dear Minister Freeland,

In connection with the signing on this date of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (the TPP Agreement), I have the honor to confirm the following understanding reached by the Government of Canada (Canada) and the Government of the United Mexican States (Mexico) during the course of the negotiations:

Canada and Mexico recognize their friendly and productive cooperative partnership with respect to intellectual property, which has been facilitated by the Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial Property Cooperation between the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property of the United Mexican States and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office of Canada (the MOU).

Conscious of the value and importance of appropriate intellectual property rights in fostering the creation of high quality, unique products in our two countries, Canada and Mexico resolve to develop a work plan of cooperation activities, which will serve to improve their understandings of how Appellations of Origin, Certification Marks, Geographical Indications and other similar forms of intellectual property rights may be protected within the framework of their respective intellectual property systems.

I have the further honor to propose that this letter and your letter of reply, equally valid in Spanish, French and English, confirming that your Government shares this understanding, will constitute an understanding between our Governments, which shall enter into force on the date on which the TPP Agreement enters into force as between Canada and Mexico.‎

Yours sincerely,

Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal