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Todd Dickinson´ s two-year stint as head of the US Patent and Trademark Office ended on Saturday 20 January, following George W Bush´ s inauguration. He was immediately hailed as one of the most successful Commissioners in recent times. Dickinson oversaw a 70% increase in patent applications; a 200% rise in the number of trade mark applications; a complete restructuring of the agency´ s management team; and an increased number of patent and trade mark examiners. It was a busy two years. "He did a marvellous job," says Michael Heltzer, government relations manager of the International Trade Mark Association (INTA). "He totally understood the role of the PTO in safeguarding America´ s ideas, something which his predecessors did not." Michael Kirk, executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) agrees: "Dickinson dedicated a lot more effort to the actual running of the office than his predecessor Bruce Lehman, putting more emphasis on processing applications and the quality of patent examinations, which are critical to the office."

The patent alternative

The Andean Pact member states have long been viewed as a backwater in the technology field. But, reports James Nurton, the new Decision 486 should radically improve patent protection and transform that image

January 1 2000, as for many developing countries, was an important date in India’s diary. It marked the end of the country’s five-year transition period and the moment it became subject to the TRIPs agreement. Tabitha Parker spoke to two senior industry figures about the change

The decision of the Court of Appeal in Douglas & Others v Hello Ltd has been heralded as having recognized a right of privacy in English law. Stephen Bate and Lawrence Abramson analyze the decision and its implications

Internet and e-commerce allow an entrepreneur to develop sales schemes of its products and services with a never previously imagined territorial scope and extension. Direct selling is both attractive and advantageous. E-commerce requires in some cases, therefore, the adjustment and of course, the amendment of some clauses of commercial inter-mediation contracts, either distribution, agency, licence, supply or franchise contracts.

As global trade increases, technology transfer will play a more important role. Walt Bratic and Sanford Warren provide a guide to putting deals together

This month´ s cover story tackles the thorny question of what constitutes fair advertising. Clothing company Benetton has built its reputation by shocking and surprising consumers with pictures depicting natural disasters, illness and danger. Its tactics have led to complaints from the public and regulators, with authorities in some countries banning particular adverts. In Germany, the picture of an oil-encrusted duck was held by the Federal Supreme Court to be offensive under the Unfair Competition Law. Following a five-year legal battle, in December the Federal Constitutional Court overturned this ban. The decision gives a green light to advertisers (companies and charities) to use provocative images in their advertising in Germany, previously one of Europe´ s more restrictive markets.

The landmark decision of Genelabs Diagnostics Pte Ltd and Nagase Singapore (Pte) Ltd v Institut Pasteur and Pasteur Sanofi Diagnostics (Civil Appeal No 14 of 2000) was the first patent infringement case involving a biotechnology patent to be heard and litigated in Singapore. In a judgment delivered by Justice of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, the Court of Appeal dealt with the validity and infringement of a patent on the HIV-2 virus. Facts of the case

Asia has turned the corner in addressing IP deficiencies. But problems remain – from the political wranglings in Indonesia to the booming Korean market. Tabitha Parker investigates