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On May 22 this year, the US Supreme Court decided the most eagerly-awaited patent case in many years, Festo v SMC. The case addresses a key issue for patent holders: what protection is available under the doctrine of equivalents. But was the decision as important as many people have claimed? What effect will it have for patent applicants and litigants in the US? And what impact will it have on the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Federal Circuit and district courts? MIP invited six senior IP practitioners in the US to a round table discussion, held at the Washington DC offices of Finnegan Henderson, to discuss the implications of the Festo decision, as well as other recent patent cases. James Nurton moderated the discussion

An independent report, by PricewaterhouseCoopers, has recommended that WIPO reduce its headcount by about 200 people and outsource the work of a further 80 to 100 posts. In its report, sent to member states in July, PwC said savings could be made through process reengineering and organizational restructuring, efficiencies from using technology and improved performance management (including addressing high levels of sickness and other absence and poor performance). The report identified printing and publications, premises management, IT and the Worldwide Academy as potential areas for outsourcing.

Many companies fear that initiating a patent infringement lawsuit in Japan is tantamount to inviting the courts to invalidate their rights. MIP and Finnegan Henderson jointly hosted a roundtable in Tokyo to consider inventive step, invalidity and successful litigation techniques in one of the world’s most important markets

Peter Ollier, Hong Kong

As recent high-profile cases have shown, it is essential for in-house counsel to devise comprehensive policies to protect their confidential information. Here is a guide

Oliver Herzfeld and Richard Bergovoy complete their guide to negotiating successful licence agreements

The UK government should grasp a new opportunity to help IP owners tackle misleading packaging, argues John Noble of the British Brands Group

Canada's Supreme Court has ruled that copyright law cannot be used to stop parallel imports where the copyright rights have been exclusively licensed

In July the Italian Parliament examined two bills relating to the regulations for identification and protection of Italian products. Both the proposals follow faithfully the consolidated text on the "Made in Italy" label already presented in the previous legislature, which was unable to conclude its course due to the end of the legislature.

Under the Singapore Patents Act, a divisional application must be filed before grant conditions are met for the parent application. In any event, the divisional application must be filed before the parent application has been refused, withdrawn or treated as having been abandoned.