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On December 8 2006 the Administrative Council of the EPO took a further step in the implementation of EPC 2000, which will come into force this year. The Council reviewed and approved the Amendments to the Implementing Regulations to the EPC 2000.

Bilateral trade between India and the US has increased exponentially over the past two decades, and gathered a full head of steam last year. In March 2006, US president Bush visited India for a meeting with prime minister Manmohan Singh on increased global partnership between the two nations. This was well received and very successful. This meeting was followed by meetings of the CEO Forum, the Trade Policy Forum and the Commercial Dialogue and High Technology Group, a clear indication of the two countries' desire to work together.

On December 14 2006, the Court of First Instance (CFI) upheld that Community trade mark applications representing deer heads with the word "Venado" were confusingly similar to earlier trade marks consisting of a deer's head with a cross surrounded by a halo and the word "Jägermeister".

The Patent Appeal Board in Canada recently issued its decision following a hearing at which we challenged the decision of an examiner regarding inter alia the patentability of subject matter. The claims were directed to a system for trading diamonds from remote computer terminals in communication with a host computer, including the use of data structures for presenting diamond characteristics in an orderly and structured manner. The examiner's rejection reflected a trend in Canada of examiners rejecting claims to less than fully tangible inventions, or to what can be loosely called business methods.

Plans to implement the European Patent Litigation Agreement - touted as the answer to Europe's patent dispute woes - are in trouble. Emma Barraclough looks at the cause of the impasse and asks what the European Commission will do next

Shahnaz Mahmud, New York

Russia is becoming an attractive market niche for many a businessman. Some build factories and plants, others register trade marks and grant licences. The more wary begin their penetration into the Russian market by testing the waters and simply appoint agents to sell their products. But we live in a balanced world: if you save on the one side you inevitably lose on the other.

The New Zealand government is drafting a Major Events Management Bill (the Bill) to help prevent ambush marketing in connection with such events.

The Italian Financial Act 2007 introduces a simplified procedure for the destruction of goods suspected of violating IP rights.

With high levels of piracy across Asia, protecting IP in the region remains complicated. Satellite TV company Star began broadcasting in 1991 with five channels and now reaches 300 million viewers across the continent. Peter Ollier looks at how the company's in-house team protects its IP assets