Guiding Principles on Good Practices for the Availability/Distribution of Protected Elements in OECD Test Guidelines

This document describes good practices for the licensing of protected elements included in OECD Test Guidelines (TGs). Transparency and communication are needed around protected elements resulting from innovation in sciences and techniques that are gradually integrated in OECD TGs. This Guidance specifies the information required from a test method developer when submitting a proposal for a new TG that contains protected elements. This document contains a broad overview of the intellectual property and similar protections that affect the OECD TG Programme. Laws governing intellectual property and similar rights vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; anyone seeking to answer specific questions about the interpretation of the concepts in this paper in a specific jurisdiction must seek the advice of a specialised lawyer.