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Rules on copyright levies on PCs and other IT devices are not harmonized in Europe. Alexander Duisberg and Fabian Niemann examine the implications of some recent disputes in Germany and compare the scope and level of copyright levies in different countries

EU: On February 7, the European Commission took legal action against royalty collector CISAC, accusing it of infringing competition law, saying the refusal to grant licences across multiple countries breached Article 81 of the EU competition treaty. CISAC said this was "a narrow and formalistic approach to the complex issue of the collective management of copyrights in Europe".

In keeping with the general proliferation of the Madrid Union, there are now 12 African member countries but only in Algeria, Mozambique and Morocco are all international registrations, designating those countries, certainly effective and enforceable. In Egypt which has a mixed legal system, it is unclear whether the necessary legislation has been implemented but in practice the Registry and the courts appear to recognize international registrations.

Licensing arrangements provide the ability for a trade mark owner to generate revenue and capitalize on the reputation of their brands. The relationship between a licensor and licensee is, in many ways, an interdependent one. Therefore, trade mark owners carefully select licensing partners based on their reputation for quality and business acumen to ensure that the integrity of the licensor's valuable proprietary rights will be protected. Given the importance of this unique business relationship, licensors typically include language in their licensing agreements that requires the licensor's consent prior to any assignment by a licensee of the licensed rights and obligations.

MIP Brand Management Forum 2006, Great Eastern Hotel, London, UK, March 28 – 29.

Companies embarking on a new business venture or undertaking a brand expansion programme under a selected trade mark typically believe that they have taken care of their intellectual property protection needs once they have searched, cleared and made a federal filing for their trade mark. However, these steps do not prevent a third party from securing internet domain names that are identical or confusingly similar. While the steps to protect trade mark rights accord a basis to challenge such third parties, trade mark owners are often surprised at the costs and difficulties that can be associated with enforcing these rights on the internet.

James Nurton, London

With discussions on the accession to the European Union and global harmonization of IP protection in an emerging economy, Turkey has experienced remarkable advances not only in the new regulations introduced but also in the enforcement of IP rights.

Notwithstanding the efforts of the Beijing AIC to strengthen IP enforcement by banning sales of certain well-known brands of goods in the Silk Market and other markets in Beijing, stall operators have continued to offer counterfeits for sale. As a result, Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada joined forces and instituted legal proceedings against five stall operators as well as their landlord Beijing Xiushi Haosen Clothing Market Co Ltd.

Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) are provided under Regulation 1768/92/EEC and extend the lifetime of patents covering medicines by a maximum of five years. In particular they provide compensation for the effectively reduced lifetime of such patents caused by the lengthy marketing approval procedures which have to be followed before new medicines can be launched on the market.