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As he prepares to leave the Office in June this year, outgoing EPO President Ingo Kober speaks to Stéphanie Bodoni about the growth in applications, the possibility of a Community Patent and the role of patent offices

How to protect well-known trade marks Hui Huang and Haiyan Ren of Wan Hui Da examine the different means of proving the well-known status of trade marks in China

The chorus of dissent to Brazil's joining the Madrid Protocol is fuelled by fears of national interests being sidelined. Denis Allan Daniel analyzes some of the major points of discussion against Brazil's accession to the Protocol

Valery Medvedev explains how recent amendments to Russia's trade mark law will benefit rights owners and, opposite, examines the implications of the new Patent Law

In this recent case in Singapore, the applicants, Siemens AG, sought to invalidate the mark Maglev, owned by a Taiwanese company, Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co. Ltd (the respondents). Siemens alleged, among other things, that the respondents' mark is devoid of any distinctive character, has become generic in the trade, and was applied for in bad faith.

On August 1 2007 a new evidence law came into force in New Zealand called the Evidence Act 2006 (the new Act).

In September 2007 the Court of First Instance of the European Union (CFI) annulled the decision of the Board of Appeal of OHIM with which the registrability of the word mark Grana Biraghi for various types of cheese had been confirmed. According to the Board, the existence of the Grana Padano protected denomination of origin, provided by the Community Regulation, could not obstruct the registration of the Grana Biraghi mark, as the term Grana was considered generic and descriptive of a particular quality of a product.

Owing to international and national needs the Finnish Act on Utility Model Rights is under revision. The new act is expected to enter into force early in 2008.

Angola (AO) became the 138th PCT contracting state on September 27 2007. The PCT will enter into force for Angola on December 27 2007 and the country may be designated in PCT international applications from this date. However, the law in Angola has not yet been amended to recognize the PCT and if national phase applications are filed, it is uncertain whether or not any enforceable rights will be granted. While Angola is not a member of the Paris Union, the Angolan authorities have indicated the priority of an earlier foreign application may be claimed within 12 months of the filing of that earlier application. Until the law has been amended to provide for PCT national phase applications, it is recommended that national patent applications be filed within the 12-month priority period.

Australia's courts have handed down three key trade mark-related rulings in the past year. Lance Scott of Spruson & Ferguson explains what lessons they have for IP owners