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A recent judgment in the US found that unlicensed linking and framing constitutes copyright infringement. All website operators should take note, explains Lawrence R Robins

The Tokyo High Court has upheld the Japanese Patent Office ban on obtaining trade marks for retail services. The internationalization of the country’s trade mark system could persuade the authorities to change their stance, say Shusaku Yamamoto and John Tessensohn

The German Act Relating to Inventions of Employees (the Act) provides that an employer may, within a period of four months, claim an invention made by an employee which either results from the employee's work under the employment contract or is essentially based on the know-how of the employer. For such a claimed invention, a patent application must be filed. In return, the employee is entitled to compensation when the invention is used by the employer. Unfortunately, the administrative provisions of the Act cause considerable paper work. Large companies estimate that the costs for handling employment inventions in compliance with the provisions of the Act are in the same range as the compensation to be paid to the employed inventors for the use of these inventions.

In April and May 2000, the Mexican Federal Administrative Proceedings Law was amended on a supplementary basis. The changes meant that standards for the administrative proceedings of the law became applicable to all actions filed before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (the IMPI). These included trade mark registration, granting of patents, nullity and infringement actions.

The fate of the famous Stolichnaya vodka brand has highlighted the problem of trade mark rights following the privatization of state-run companies in the former USSR.

Among several amendments to the Patent Act that came into force on January 1 2002 in Germany, there are two changes affecting patent opposition proceedings. First, an opposition fee of ?200 ($174) has been introduced. Secondly, there is a temporary change regarding the responsibility for deciding on oppositions.

In a recent pronouncement, the Council of State in Colombia has ruled that the domain .co is the property of the state, not of its administrator the Universidad de los Andes.

As the Gulf Cooperation Council’s patent system goes from strength to strength, Ralph Cunningham examines how patent owners are benefiting from improved protection and enforcement throughout the region

The approach of 2005 and TRIPs Agreement conformity has proved to be a great motivator in Asian jurisdictions. A flood of new patent legislation has entered the statute books. Some countries already comply with the agreement. Others have a bit more work to do, reports Ralph Cunningham

Many countries have made significant steps in improving and harmonizing their patent protection in the last year. James Nurton, Ingrid Hering and Ralph Cunningham ask the leading practitioners in 30 emerging markets about the latest trends