Article 9

1. Any country of the Special Union which has signed this Act may ratify it, and, if it has not signed it, may accede to it.

2. Any country outside the Special Union which is party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property may accede to this Act and thereby become a country of the Special Union.

3. Instruments of ratification and accession shall be deposited with the Director General.

4.

(a) This Act shall enter into force three months after both of the following conditions are fulfilled:

(i) six or more countries have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession;

(ii) at least three of the said countries are countries which, on the date this Act is opened for signature, are countries of the Special Union.

(b) The entry into force referred to in subparagraph (a) shall apply to those countries which, at least three months before the said entry into force, have deposited instruments of ratification or accession.

(c) With respect to any country not covered by subparagraph (b), this Act shall enter into force three months after the date on which its ratification or accession was notified by the Director General, unless a subsequent date has been indicated in the instrument of ratification or accession. In the latter case, this Act shall enter into force with respect to that country on the date thus indicated.

5. Ratification or accession shall automatically entail acceptance of all the clauses and admission to all the advantages of this Act.

6. After the entry into force of this Act, no country may ratify or accede to an earlier Act of this Agreement.