1. The information contained in the IDB covers tariffs and imports at the tariff line level. The mandatory tariff information covers MFN duties for applied and current bound duty levels on an annual basis and correlation tables showing changes in the tariff nomenclature from one year to the next. Optional information includes ad valorem equivalents of specific, mixed and compound duties and preferential duties. Import information includes value, quantity, and country of origin by tariff line.

2. The CTS data base contains Members' commitments on goods made in the context of the Uruguay Round and previous negotiations as well as post-Uruguay Round concessions (The CTS data base is documented in G/MA/63, dated 18 June 1999 and in G/MA/110 dated 31 July 2000). The CTS data base also includes provisions to link the concessions to the information contained in the IDB.

3. The dissemination policy described hereafter applies to all the information contained in the IDB and the CTS data base.

4. Authorized users are defined as:

(a) all WTO Members;

(b) Acceding countries or territories that have provided IDB submissions (hereafter referred to as authorized Acceding countries);

(c) the WTO Secretariat; and

(d) the following intergovernmental organizations:

- Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery,

- Caribbean Community Secretariat,

- Commonwealth Secretariat,

- Food and Agricultural Organization,

- General Secretariat of the Andean Community,

- International Monetary Fund,

- International Textiles and Clothing Bureau,

- International Trade Center,

- Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development,

- Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat,

- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,

- United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe,

- World Bank.

(In the spirit of inter-organizational co-operation, it is expected that other organizations that have been granted access to the IDB and the CTS would give favourable consideration to granting similar access to their own respective tariff and trade-related databases and analytical facilities to the WTO.)

5. Additional requests by other intergovernmental organizations for access to the IDB and the CTS database are subject to approval by the Committee on Market Access on a case by case basis.

6. Authorized users can use all the information freely for internal purposes and in the context of market access-related technical assistance and capacity building. ("Internal purposes" is understood to mean, in the case of Members and authorized Acceding countries, that they are free to use and distribute their own processed files as they wish but the files of other Members or authorized Acceding countries can only be used internally by governments. In the case of the Secretariat and other organizations, "internal purposes" is understood to mean use within the organization.)

7. Authorized users may publish IDB and CTS information or analyses derived from these databases under the following conditions:

(a) WTO copyright of the original data is acknowledged;

(b) any conclusions or analyses based on IDB and CTS data are accompanied by a disclaimer stating that they are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the WTO;

(c) the Committee on Market Access is informed through the WTO Secretariat of intended publication prior to publication;

(d) the most detailed level of data that can be published is at the level of HS 6-digit sub headings;

(e) publication of detailed data beyond the level of HS 6-digit sub headings is contingent on obtaining written permission from the Member(s) or authorized Acceding country(ies) in question through the WTO Secretariat. The exception to this rule is in the case of WTO documents prepared by the Secretariat at the request of Members, in which case the Secretariat will inform the Committee on Market Access prior to publication.

8. Authorized intergovernmental organizations and authorized Acceding countries are required to agree to the conditions on the use and publication of IDB and CTS information as set forth in this document prior to receiving access to the information. Any breach of the conditions will result in the termination of their access to the databases.

Internet Dissemination

9. Access to the IDB and the CTS information via the Internet is through a user-identification code and password (hereafter referred to as password). The passwords are maintained by the Secretariat and distributed to authorized users via Heads of Delegations in Geneva or to WTO representatives, (in the case of Members and Acceding countries); via designated focal points in intergovernmental agencies; and via Directors of Divisions in the case of the WTO Secretariat. Each authorized user has its own password. It is possible to establish several passwords for a given authorized user. The passwords are changed periodically. It is the responsibility of authorized users to ensure that the IDB and CTS dissemination policy outlined above is respected.

10. There are two internet sites which can be accessed by all authorized users which are both accessed with the same password:

(a) The Internet File Transfer Facility (FTF) covers the distribution of processed IDB and CTS files to Members. Files are loaded by the Secretariat to the FTF initially as "provisional" until they are deemed "approved" on receipt of approval by the supplying Member or Acceding country or after a period of 60 days. Members and Acceding countries can submit changes to their files at any time.

(b) The IDB Internet Analysis Facility (IAF) in its current version allows users to query the IDB on-line via the Internet. The IAF will be enhanced on an incremental basis to provide additional analytical features and reports, to operate from linked IDB and CTS information, and to allow the extraction of IDB and CTS information for use with other PC desktop software.

11. For the above two Facilities (FTF and IAF), access to approved IDB and CTS files is accorded to all authorized users. Provisional IDB and CTS files are only available to WTO Members, authorized Acceding countries and the WTO Secretariat.

CD-ROM

12. The IDB CD-ROM in its present version contains approved IDB information. It is distributed to authorized users each June and December. A CD-ROM containing approved CTS information will be distributed to authorized users.

13. Intergovernmental organizations not listed in paragraph 4 as authorized users but which receive the IDB CD ROM will continue to receive the IDB CD-ROM and be issued with the CTS CD-ROM, subject to their agreement to the conditions on the use and publication of the information contained therein as set out in paragraphs 6 to 8. These organizations are the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Customs Organization.

14. Additional requests by other intergovernmental organizations for access to the IDB CD-ROM and the CTS CD-ROM are subject to approval by the Committee on Market Access on a case by case basis.