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.