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From Davidoff to Samara Brothers, it has been an interesting year in the trade mark courts. James Nurton reports on 10 cases that raised important questions during 1999

A recent Federal Circuit decision should make it easier for US trade mark owners to block the importation of grey goods. Mark S Sommers and Louis J Levy say it continues the trend of improved protection against parallel imports

Firm names and commercial emblems are included in the category of industrial property rights in Romania. Along with trade marks, they make up the main distinctive commercial signs.

Design protection in Singapore is based on the 1949 UK law. But, say Drew & Napier, a recent case reveals important differences in application of the law

Apple Computer has won world-wide injunctions stopping the manufacture and sale of iMac lookalike Windows systems.

We all know that obtaining patent protection internationally requires considerable funds, the average probably being $ 5,000 per country. For an individual inventor this can be a lot of money. However, it can also tighten a company´ s budget since companies generally have to seek patent protection for more than one product. It has thus become standard practice to base the decision for international filings on an early examination report which may be obtained in the country of first filing. It has further become good practice to file an international (PCT) application before the end of one year after the first national filing, thereby claiming convention priority, instead of going directly national at the end of the priority year. If the applicant asks for an international preliminary examination (IPE), there will be a further indication about the chances of obtaining national patents prior to converting the international application into national original applications.

The new Woolf rules on litigation in the UK emphasize pre-action negotiations. Gerard Cronin, of Llewelyn Zietman in London, examines the tension this has created with the Brussels and Lugano Conventions

Singapore’s High Court recently delivered its ruling in Merck v Pharmaforte. Ella Cheong & G Mirandah in Singapore reveal that the decision has big implications for all patent owners in Singapore

Ladislav Jakl, of Patentservis Praha Ltd in Prague, examines how the Czech Patent Law has been upgraded to conform with international practice

Patent rights require that enforcement be swift and efficient. Carlos Octavio Mitelman, of Obligado & Cia Lda in Buenos Aires, explains how the law in Argentina fulfils these criteria