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Carlos O Mitelman and Daniel R Zuccherino of Obligado & Cia take issue with Argentina’s system for patenting medicinal innovations

Organizations in the Middle East are becoming more aware of the importance of and the value associated with their intellectual property rights. IP is being recognized as a primary or key asset of an organization and a key tool for achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage. Branding that incorporates the use of IP is also seen as an essential element of success in today's business environment and is responsible for conveying messages to consumers to differentiate a business and its products in the marketplace.

On April 3 2008, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhil) held the first of its two scheduled stakeholders' forum for the year. The objective of the forum was to provide speedy and effective legal remedies to improve the quality of the decisions rendered and to promote the Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA), the adjudication division of IPOPhil, as a forum of choice and to promote mediation as an alternative means to resolve disputes. The forum was attended by over a hundred practitioners, and presided by the director-general himself, Atty Adrian Cristobal Jr Some of the suggestions given by the IP practitioners are below.

The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) recently completed a review of its practice of raising objections based on morality considerations, and has just released new guidelines that may cause difficulties for some biotechnology patent applications.

The DR-CAFTA brought many economic changes to El Salvador. It also changed the business environment between El Salvador and the US. As a consequence of the agreement, trade mark law also underwent important changes, particularly regarding times and procedures.

The law on disclosing clinical trial data looks set to change following a recent announcement by the UK government. The rationale behind the proposed changes, which are due to be introduced into UK law by the end of this year, is that pharmaceutical companies should be in no doubt as to their responsibility to disclose any information they have that would have a bearing on the protection of health.

The adoption and use of a trade mark can be time consuming and expensive and can present unseen risks. Advertising activity and its regulations often interfere with trade mark use and registration. Some of the most relevant restrictions apply to tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, games of chance and children advertising on TV and radio.

Israel has increasingly become an important centre for conducting multinational clinical trials, with major pharmaceutical companies sponsoring trials in the country's many academic and medical facilities. With high-quality medical professionals and leading academics, in addition to a diverse population base and a modernized regulatory environment, Israel is an attractive venue for conducting clinical research.

The state body, SNICS, is in its infancy, but already it is making headway in protecting plants, says Abraham Diaz Arceo of Olivares & Cia

From Shamnad Basheer