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A new Designs Act came into force in Norway on July 1 2010, expanding protection to moving designs. So far only a few moving designs have been registered, and the practice in the Norwegian Industrial Property Office as regards such designs is still under development.

The USPTO had begun hiring, accusations of malpractice were being made and WIPO had welcomed a new era of harmonisation, even before Barack Obama got to the podium. Eileen McDermott, Patrick Ross and Karen Bolipata report from Washington, New York and Los Angeles

The Rugby World Cup 2011 plays out in New Zealand in September and October of this year. It is the third largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup. It is also the biggest test yet of New Zealand's umbrella ambush marketing legislation, the Major Events Management Act 2007. The Act prohibits unauthorised associations between major events and brands, and provides for clean zones and clean transport routes for specific periods around matches.

I clearly remember watching Stanley Kubricks' 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was a teenager. It was abstract, both in method and presentation. It made little more sense than French films like Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville, but it presented such a grand vision, in such grand style, that you just stared credulously at the apes and that big, black tablet.

Samsung was barred from distributing three models of its Galaxy smartphone after rival Apple won a preliminary injunction in The Netherlands. In a decision from late August, Judge Brinkman of the Hague District Court granted the injunction after provisionally finding that Samsung infringed Apple's European patent for a portable electronic device for photo management. The decision is effective from the middle of this month. It applies to Samsung's Galaxy S, S II and Ace smartphones on penalty of a payment of €100,000 a day or €10 for each infringing product. The judge found that other rights asserted by Apple, including patents and designs, were not infringed. He also declined to issue an injunction against Samsung's Galaxy tablet computer. The extent to which the injunction will prevent Samsung distributing its products in other European countries is unclear at this stage. The patent at issue is valid in a number of other European countries. Samsung may also be able to reengineer its phones and design around the Apple patent. The decision proved that cross-border injunctions in preliminary proceedings are alive and well in the Netherlands.

A monthly column devoted to IP curiosities and controversies, named in honour of John of Utynam – who received the world’s first recorded patent in 1449 diary@managingip.com

Musicians and record companies are celebrating after EU member states voted to extend the length of time during which performers and producers can claim royalties.

The Swiss Federal Administrative Court has, upon appeal, held the mark Gap registrable as a trade mark for goods in class 28 (essentially toys and pet toys).

The Thailand Cosmetic Act protects consumers of cosmetics and categorises cosmetics into specially controlled designations. According to the Cosmetic Act of 1992, the focus of the regulation has been changed from pre-marketing activities to post-marketing activities, originating from the perception that utilisation of technical requirements and practice of good manufacturing guidelines ensures the quality of cosmetic products. Manufacturers or importers of specifically controlled cosmetic products must notify the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of all required information according to the law. The FDA is responsible for providing suggestions or recommendations to the Minister of Public Health on matters pertaining to cosmetics, providing advice or opinions on registration and revocation of registration of specially controlled cosmetics as well as all other issues concerning cosmetic regulations.

On September 5 2011, the Court of Appeals dismissed the copyright infringement case filed by television network giant ABS-CBN Corporation against ABC Development Corporation (ABC 5) involving the popular TV show Willing-Willie hosted by its former talent, Willie Revillame. ABS-CBN alleged that Willing-Willie is confusingly similar to its programme Wowowee which was then hosted by Revillame.