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The practice of registering famous marks has become a national sport in Indonesia and it shows no signs of abating. In a special report, Emily Downes tracks down the pirates – and their advisers

One of the most common questions asked by foreign clients is: "What is an Amparo suit?" Often the answer from most Mexican lawyers to avoid further explanation is: an appeal.

The German Federal Supreme Court recently issued two decisions on the registrability of slogans (Radio von hier, Radio wie wir and Partner with the Best, both dated December 8 1999), which have terminated an ongoing controversy in Germany. According to these decisions, the requirements for distinctiveness of slogans are not any greater than for regular word marks.

Under Australian law it is possible to make post grant amendments to a patent either before the Commissioner of Patents, or in the Federal Court of Australia. Typically an application for amendment to the Federal Court is lodged when the patentee is about to commence infringement proceedings on the basis of advice that amendments are required to correct defects or to limit the relevance of prior art. In a recent case, Gambro Pty Ltd v Fresenius Medical Care South East Asia Pty Ltd, amendments were sought to limit the field of invention to the area of real interest fluids for dialysis and related procedures in order to strengthen the patentee´ s position in a cross claim for invalidity.

The internet has thrown up new challenges to IP regimes. Dedar Singh Gill and Rama S Tiwari, of Drew & Napier in Singapore, explain the new provisions covering protection in Singapore

Customs can be a powerful weapon against pirates in Latvia. Now it is up to rights owners to test the procedures, say Vladimir Anohin and Victoria Streltsova, of Agency Tria Robit in Riga

Paul Tauchner, of Vossius & Partner in Munich, examines the scope of patent protection available under the doctrine of equivalence in Germany

New Zealand’s Court of Appeal has given the green light to second uses of pharmaceuticals, transforming patent practice in the country. Tom Syddall examines the decision

In a landmark ruling, the Community Trade Marks Office has accepted an application for retail services. Lee Curtis explains that its decision will be welcomed by trade mark applicants in all EU member states

You may not put the European Patent Office top of the list when applying for e-commerce patents. Think again. Johannes Lang reveals that protection is just as powerful as in the US, and in some cases even broader