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Claiming the date of commencement of use of trade marks in Mexico raises some tricky issues. Jaime Delgado and Arturo D Reyes of Goodrich Riquelme & Asociados explain

A monthly column devoted to the curiosities and controversies of the IP world

Intellectual property valuation has novelty value among IP professionals not used to the mainstream importance of intangible assets. But as Gustavo A Alcocer and Carlos Woodworth of Olivares & Cia argue, valuing your IP is essential if you plan to use your assets in a productive fashion

In E-Toyo Global Stationery v Toyo Ink [2005], the first respondent was the registered proprietor of the trade mark Toyo in Class 16 and had been the registered proprietor since 1979. In 2002, the first respondent entered into a registered user agreement with the second respondent to use the Toyo mark. In 2004, a third party (not a party to this action) became a registered user and gained a licence to use the Toyo mark by way of a novation cum registered user agreement with the first respondent. The applicant alleged that as a result of the 2002 registered user agreement, an act of so-called "trafficking" had been committed.

The Singapore Patents Act was amended on July 1 2004. The amendments have brought about various changes to the search and examination options available to applicants using the PCT route. The options available for applications with filing dates both before and after July 1 2004 are outlined below.

By their nature, life science companies are among the more IP-dependent businesses in the corporate world. Any transactions, therefore, will require a more thorough due diligence than is the norm. Paul M Booth and Leslie Mooi outline 10 things you should know about such a company before deciding to invest in, or acquire, it

According to Regulation 1768/92/EEC supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) can be granted for novel medicines. They are intended to compensate for the reduced effective lifetime of patents covering such medicines.

India's Minister for Commerce & Industry has formed a Technical Expert Committee to study two critical issues that Parliament did not consider when it passed the Patents (Amendment) Act 2005. The Expert Committee has been asked to consider the patentability of new chemical entities and micro-organisms. If it suggests that amendments should be made to the law in relation to these two areas, changes will be incorporated into the new legislation.

New rules on criminal thresholds should make it easier for prosecutors to bring charges against IP infringers. But as the authorities struggle to manage a mounting workload, IP owners should consider taking the law into their own hands and launching private criminal prosecutions, explains Gordon Gao

On March 4, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs announced a proposal known as the Intellectual Property Rights Strategic Modernization Plan, which was developed in close co-operation with the EU. Covering every aspect of IP rights, including marketing and the legal framework, the blueprint aims to improve Malaysia's capacity to enforce IP rights properly and to sanction any IP infringements effectively. Plans include developing special courts to hear IP disputes, and training lawyers and judges in IP issues. The Ministry expects the plan will bring Malaysia's IP infrastructure quickly in line with that found in countries such as the UK and Japan.