Party countries to the Paris Convention compose a union for the Protection of Industrial Property. The Paris Convention goes further than a mere treaty establishing rights as well as obligations. It also establishes a legal entity in international law with the essential organs to carry out certain tasks. The Union forms a single administrative entity as well as an administrative link between the different Acts of the Paris Convention.
A state which becomes a member of the Union by acceding to the most recent Act of the Paris Convention becomes bound with respect to all member countries. Article 27(3) of the Convention says that such a country have to apply the Stockholm Act also to member countries of the Union not yet party to it and must recognize that member. The Union has three administrative organs. The Assembly, the Executive Committee and the International Bureau of WIPO headed by the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
The Assembly is dealt with in Article 13. It consists of all member countries bound at least by the administrative provisions of the Stockholm Act. The Assembly is the main governing body of the Union in which all policy making plus controlling powers are vested. It deals with all matters concerning the maintenance and progress of the Union and the execution of the Paris Convention. It gives directions for the preparation of conferences of revision of the Convention. It reviews and approves the reports and activities of the Director General of WIPO concerning the Union and gives him instructions concerning matters within the capability of the Union. It determines the program, adopts the biennial budget of the Union and approves its final accounts. The Assembly meets once in every second calendar year in ordinary session.
The Assembly has an Executive Committee. It consists of one-fourth of the countries members of the Assembly as well as is elected by the Assembly for the period between two regular sessions with due regard to an equitable geographical distribution. The Executive Committee meets once a year in ordinary session. The Executive Committee is the smaller governing body of the Union. It deals with all the functions which have to be carried out during the period between the ordinary sessions of the Assembly and for which the Assembly is too big a body. It prepares the meetings of the Assembly and takes all essential measures to guarantee the execution of the program.
The provisions concerning the International Bureau are contained in Article 15. The International Bureau of WIPO is the administrative organ of the Union. It completes all administrative tasks concerning the Union. It provides the secretariat of the various organs of the Union. The Director General of WIPO is the chief executive of the Union.