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In 2007 a draft patent law was issued that would bring Syria into line with international standards. The law was signed by the Minister of Economy and Trade and was put before the Cabinet of Ministers for consideration. A copy of the draft (in Arabic) can be obtained from the Syrian Patent Office (www.spo.gov.sy).

The Greek patent office has introduced the possibility for applicants for national patents to opt for an extended search report comprising an opinion on patentability.

Two recent court decisions against YouTube and the Pirate Bay herald a new era in the battle against online piracy in Italy, say Roberto Valenti and Elena Martini of DLA Piper

Italian-headquartered Sisvel administers patent pools for some of the world's biggest electronics companies. Founder Roberto Dini spoke to Emma Barraclough about licensing, enforcement and patent trolls

In the summer of 2009, the principle of regional exhaustion for goods released into circulation in the European Economic Area (EEA) was introduced into the Swiss Patent Act. Thus, the patent owner's exclusive right is deemed exhausted when patented products have been released on to the market by the owner or with his consent within the EEA or Switzerland. Such products can accordingly be imported into and sold in Switzerland notwithstanding the patent in Switzerland covering these products.

For over 11 years, Lucas and Peterson have been locked in a patent dispute over a portable saw mill. Lucas, an Australian company, was involved in the design and manufacture of outdoor machinery. Lucas' principal product was a grabber, which is a device for picking up logs. Peterson was a New Zealand company and its principal product was a portable saw mill that it sold mostly in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

The battle between Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the two of the largest companies in the global defence industry, reached a new level at the High Court in Malaysia last year. The argument was over the registration and use of the trade mark Paveway, a type of laser-guided bomb made by Raytheon in Malaysia.

Under the Copyrights Act 1957 copyright societies are authorised to grant licences for copyrighted works. No other person except the owner of the work or a copyright society can grant a licence. A copyright society has the task of collective management of the rights of the owners and furthers their interests to prevent infringement of their works, in India as well as abroad. As India is a member of international conventions, the copyright societies in India can have reciprocal arrangements with organisations in other countries for collection of royalties for use of Indian works in these countries. Again, the owners have to withdraw the licence bestowed on the copyright society without prejudice to the rights of the society. In India, copyright societies like IPRS, PPL, SCRIPT have been protecting and managing the rights of the owners for musical, sound recording and cinematographic works respectively.

Austria

Italy's decision to grant Ferrari the right to trade mark the colour red demonstrates a more flexible, commercial approach to colour marks than the position adopted by OHIM and the ECJ, argues Diego Pallini of Notarbartolo & Gervasi