RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS28/2
ORGANIZATION 28February 1996
(96-0712)
Original: English
JAPAN -MEASURES CONCERNING SOUND RECORDINGS
Request toJoinConsultations
Communication from theEuropean Communities
Thefollowing communication, dated 22February 1996, from thePermanent Delegation of
theEuropean Commission tothePermanent Missions oftheUnited States andJapan, andtotheDispute
Settlement Body, iscirculated inaccordance withArticle 4.11oftheDSU.
_______________
Pursuant totheprocedures laiddown inArticle 4.11oftheUnderstanding onRules and
Procedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes (DSU), theEuropean Communities andtheirMember
States wishtobejoined intheconsultations under Article XXII:1 ofGATT 1994 requested bythe
United States inacommunication circulated toWTO Members on14February 1996 (WT/DS28/1)
regarding theprotection inJapan ofsound recordings originating inother WTO Members orcreated
bynationals ofother WTO Members.
TheEuropean Communities andtheirMembers States haveasubstantial tradeinterest interms
of,interalia,therelevant parts oftherepertoire ofthepopular music ofTheBeatles, TheRolling
Stones, RodStewart, TheWho, CliffRichard, EricClapton andJames Last, aswellastheclassical
music repertoire ofKarlBöhm, Ferenc Fricsay, KarlRichter, Herbert vonKarajan, Leonard Bernstein,
SirGeorg Solti andtheVienna andBerlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Present European industry
calculations, fromtheirknowledge andobservation oftheJapanese market, areofunauthorized copies
ofEuropean recordings falling intotheperiod inquestion exceeding ECU 100million invalue.