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In October 2005, the Provincial Appellate Court of Madrid gave an interesting judgment in an action that Lilly Group had brought against two companies in the business of selling generic products. The judgment confirmed that these companies' advertising was illegal and that there was trade mark infringement. The judgment is particularly noteworthy as high damages were awarded compared to what is usual in Spain.

James Nurton, London

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.

Going after counterfeiters is a tricky task for brand owners anywhere in the world. The trick is to be strategic about the course of action one plans to take. The same principle counts also in the United Arab Emirates, where rights owners can choose from a range of options, says Lara Haidar of The Rights Lawyers

The revised IP law that Egypt introduced three years ago following its accession to the WTO signalled a will to rebuild international confidence in the country's ability to protect IP right owners. Khaled El Shalakany of Shalakany Law Office provides a detailed overview

Italy's technology transfer regime has recently been updated in line with EU and international requirements. Foreign companies looking to license their technology in Italy have to watch out for several new provisions. Michel Jolicoeur of Racheli & C provides an overview

The topic of whether rights owners or consumers should take priority in the case of technological anti-copying protection devices on CDs or DVDs has been the cause of a hot debate in Italy for some time. Matteo Orsingher, Paolo Bertoni and Fabrizio Sanna of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer examine the law and the possible outcome

Success in the global market can be a difficult goal to reach for small- and medium-sized companies in Europe, with many of them struggling to find the needed financial resources and EU funding to build on. So instead of going it alone, why not try out pooling resources with like-minded businesses? Ruth Taplin explains

The Coalition Provisional Authority last year amended Iraq's IP laws in line with international standards. In September the Trade Mark Office started to accept its first filings under Iraq's updated legal system. Tariq A Marouf and Jason K Majid of Al Tamimi & Company explain how the new trade mark registration system works

Dubai recently served as one of the main locations for the shooting of Syriana - the first Hollywood production shot in the UAE. In recent years, many more such developments pointing toward a further opening up of the region have taken place in the media and entertainment industries, says Mark Hill of The Rights Lawyers