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 of the country where a Conference is to meet prepares, with the assistance of the International Office, the work of the Conference. The Director of the Office shall attend at the sittings of the Conferences, and shall take part in the discussions without the right to vote.

No alteration in the present Convention shall be binding on the Union except by the unanimous consent of the countries composing it.

States outside the Union which make provision for the legal protection of rights forming the object of the present Convention may accede thereto on request to that effect.

Such accession shall be notified in writing to the Government of the Swiss Confederation, who will communicate it to all the other countries of the Union.

Such accession shall imply full adhesion to all the clauses and admission to all the advantages provided by the present Convention. It may, nevertheless, contain an indication of the provisions of the Convention of the 9th September, 1886, or of the Additional Act of the 4th May, 1896, which they may judge necessary to substitute, provisionally at least, for the corresponding provisions of the present Convention.

Contracting countries shall have the right to accede to the present Convention at any time for their Colonies or foreign possessions.

They may do this either by a general Declaration comprising in the accession all their Colonies or possessions, or by specially naming those comprised therein, or by simply indicating those which are excluded.

Such Declaration shall be notified in writing to the Government of the Swiss Confederation, who will communicate it to all the other countries of the Union.

The present Convention shall replace, in regard to the relations between the Contracting States, the Convention