Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative

(2) Amendments to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall be adopted by the Assembly. Adoption shall require three-fourth of the votes cast, provided that any amendment to Article 7 and to the present paragraph shall require four-fifth of the votes cast.

(3)

(a) Any amendment to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall enter into force one month after written notifications of acceptance, effected in accordance with their respective constitutional process, have been received by the Director General from three-fourth of the countries members of the Special Union at the time the amendment was adopted.

(b) Any amendment to the said Articles thus accepted shall bind all the countries which are members of the Special Union at the time the amendment enters into force, provided that any amendment increasing the financial obligations of countries of the Special Union shall bind only those countries which have notified their acceptance of such amendment.

(c) Any amendment accepted in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (a) shall bind all countries which become members of the Special Union after the date on which the amendment entered into force in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (a).

 

Article 12
Becoming Party to the Agreement

 

(1) Any country party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property may become party to this Agreement by:

(i) signature followed by the deposit of an instrument of ratification, or

(ii) deposit of an instrument of accession.

(2) Instrument of ratification or accession shall be deposited with the Director General.

(3) The provisions of Article 24 of the Stockholm Act of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property shall apply to this Agreement.

(4) Paragraph (3) shall in no way be understood as implying the recognition or tacit acceptance by a country of the Special Union of the factual situation concerning a territory to which this Agreement is made applicable by another country by virtue of the said paragraph.

 

Article 13
Entry Into Force of the Agreement

 

(1) With respect to the first five countries which have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession, this Agreement shall enter into force three months after the fifth instrument of ratification or accession has been deposited.

(2) With respect to any country other than those for which this Agreement has entered into force in accordance with paragraph (1), it shall enter into force three months after the date on which its ratification or accession was notified by the Director General, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument of ratification or accession. In the latter case, this Agreement shall enter into force with respect to that country on the date thus indicated.

(3) Ratification or accession shall automatically entail acceptance of all the clauses and admission to all the advantages of this Agreement.

 

Article 14
Duration of the Agreement

 

This Agreement shall have the same duration as the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.

 

Article 15
Denunciation

 

(1) Any country of the Special Union may denounce this Agreement by notification addressed to the Director General.

(2) Denunciation shall take effect one year after the day on which the Director General has received the notification.

(3) The right of denunciation provided by this Article shall not be exercised by any country before the expiration of five years from the date upon which it becomes a member of the Special Union.

 

Article 16
Disputes

 

(1) Any dispute between two or more countries of the Special Union concerning the interpretation or application of this Agreement, not settled by negotiation, may, by any one of the countries concerned, be brought before the International Court of Justice by application in conformity with the Statute of the Court, unless the countries concerned agree on some other method of settlement. The country bringing the dispute before the Court shall inform the International Bureau; the International Bureau shall bring the matter to the attention of the other countries of the Special Union.

(2) Each country may, at the time it signs this Agreement or deposits its instrument of ratification or accession, declare that it does not consider itself bound by the provisions of paragraph (1). With regard to any dispute between any country having made such a declaration and any other country of the Special Union, the provisions of paragraph (1) shall not apply.

(3) Any country having made a declaration in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) may, at any time, withdraw its declaration by notification addressed to the Director General.
Article 17
Signature, Languages, Depositary Functions, Notifications