CHAPTER VI
DISPUTES

Article 59
Disputes

Subject to Article 64(5), any dispute between two or more Contracting States concerning the interpretation or application of this Treaty or the Regulations, not settled by negotiation, may, by any one of the States concerned, be brought before the International Court of Justice by application in conformity with the Statute of the Court, unless the States concerned agree on some other method of settlement. The Contracting State bringing the dispute before the Court shall inform the International Bureau; the International Bureau shall bring the matter to the attention of the other Contracting States.

CHAPTER VII
REVISION AND AMENDMENT

Article 60
Revision of the Treaty

(1) This Treaty may be revised from time to time by a special conference of the Contracting States.
(2) The convocation of any revision conference shall be decided by the Assembly.
(3) Any intergovernmental organization appointed as International Searching or Preliminary Examining Authority shall be admitted as observer to any revision conference.
(4) Articles 53(5), (9) and (11), 54, 55(4) to (8), 56, and 57, may be amended either by a revision conference or according to the provisions of Article 61.

Article 61
Amendment of Certain Provisions of the Treaty

(1)(a) Proposals for the amendment of Articles 53(5), (9) and (11), 54, 55(4) to (8), 56, and 57, may be initiated by any State member of the Assembly, by the Executive Committee, or by the Director General.
(b) Such proposals shall be communicated by the Director General to the Contracting States at least six months in advance of their consideration by the Assembly.
(2)(a) Amendments to the Articles referred to in paragraph (1) shall be adopted by the Assembly.
(b) Adoption shall require three-fourths 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 processes, have been received by the Director General from three-fourths of the States members of the Assembly at the time it adopted the amendment.
(b) Any amendment to the said Articles thus accepted shall bind all the States which are members of the Assembly at the time the amendment enters into force, provided that any amendment increasing the financial obligations of
the Contracting States shall bind only those States which have notified their acceptance of such amendment.
(c) Any amendment accepted in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (a) shall bind all States which become members of the Assembly after the date on which the amendment entered into force in accordance with the
provisions of subparagraph (a).

CHAPTER VIII
FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 62
Becoming Party to the Treaty

(1) Any State member of the International Union for the Protection of Industrial Property may become party to this Treaty by:
(i) signature followed by the deposit of an instrument of ratification, or (ii) deposit of an instrument of accession.
(2) Instruments 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 Treaty.
(4) Paragraph (3) shall in no way be understood as implying the recognition or tacit acceptance by a Contracting State of the factual situation concerning a territory to which this Treaty is made applicable by another Contracting State by virtue of the said paragraph.

Article 63
Entry into Force of the Treaty

(1)(a) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (3), this Treaty shall enter into force three months after eight States have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession, provided that at least four of those States each fulfill
any of the following conditions:
(i) the number of applications filed in the State has exceeded 40,000 according to the most recent annual statistics published by the International Bureau,
(ii) the nationals or residents of the State have filed at least 1,000 applications in one foreign country according to the most recent annual statistics published by the International Bureau,
(iii) the national Office of the State has received at least 10,000 applications from nationals or residents of foreign countries according to the most recent annual statistics published by the International Bureau.
(b) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term “applications” does not include applications for utility models.
(2) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (3), any State which does not become party to this Treaty upon entry into force under paragraph (1) shall become bound by this Treaty three months after the date on which such State has deposited its instrument of ratification or accession.
(3) The provisions of Chapter II and the corresponding provisions of the Regulations annexed to this Treaty shall become applicable, however, only on the date on which three States each of which fulfill at least one of the three
requirements specified in paragraph (1) have become party to this Treaty without declaring, as provided in Article 64(1), that they do not intend to be bound by the provisions of Chapter II. That date shall not, however, be prior to
that of the initial entry into force under paragraph (1).

Article 64
Reservations⁴

(1)(a) Any State may declare that it shall not be bound by the provisions of Chapter II.
(b) States making a declaration under subparagraph (a) shall not be bound by the provisions of Chapter II and the corresponding provisions of the Regulations.
(2)(a) Any State not having made a declaration under paragraph (1)(a) may declare that:

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4 Editor’s Note: Information received by the International Bureau concerning reservations made under Article 64(1) to (5) is published in the Gazette and on the WIPO website at: www.wipo.int/pct/en/texts/reservations/res_incomp.pdf.