I am currently studying for an exam in intellectual property rights and read that the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is a umbrella agreement, whereas agreements such as PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) or MMA (Madrid system for the international registration of marks) are special agreements (within the umbrella).
Therefore I wonder if membership in the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is a requirement for any of the before mentioned special agreements and if not why?
Special agreements are mentioned in Art. 19 of the Paris Convention.