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The president of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, Wubbo de Boer, revealed on September 21 that the Community Trade Mark will suffer its first decline in applications since it opened in 1996.

A record number of attendees visited San Diego in May for the INTA Annual Meeting. More than 7,000 trade mark practitioners travelled to southern California for educational and networking opportunities, as well as social events including an unforgettable visit to Sea World where world-famous killer whale Shamu performed for the crowd. For the third year running, MIP published the INTA Daily News during the meeting.

James G Conley and John J Szobocsan ask how IP owners can achieve sustainable competitive advantage through protected differentiation. Or, in other words, why am I in this long line to buy a Snow White video – a film first released in 1937?

Here are some of the highlights of amendments to the Patent Law currently being presented to the Diet: (1) Shortening of the time period for filing a request for examination (Sec 48ter(1)). The time period for filing a request for examination is to be revised to three years from the filing date instead of the seven years as provided for in Section 48ter(1). The proposed provision is to be applied to an application filed on or after October 1 2001. The seven year time limit though provided for in the current law is still to be applied to an application pending on the above effective date of October 1 2001.

Authorities unveil new trade mark measures.

Indonesia has made slow progress in tackling the piracy that has thwarted IP rights owners in the country. Nicholas Redfearn examines the country’s attempts to develop effective protection and reveals how some rights owners are coping with the problems

The Community trade mark system will next year celebrate its tenth anniversary. Over the years many have benefited from its unique advantages. But the system is still subject to regular changes, which require practitioners' close attention, say Julie Kay and Pen Hosford, of Marks & Clerk Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys

A wave of decisions on (non) descriptive trade marks and likelihood of confusion have recently come out of the EU's Luxembourg-based courts. Bénédicte Linden and Jean L Pire of GEVERS examine the cases and the dangers of over-analyzing trade marks

Harmonizing EU laws and practices across all member states is one of the key goals of the European Commission and EU legislators. But how successful has this process been in the IP field, and how has it affected IP-owning businesses? Paul Joseph of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer explains

Sam Mamudi, New York