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A trade mark for Columbia was recently registered, for goods in class 34 (tobacco products and their accessories) and services in class 35 (wholesale and retail sale of tobacco products).

Pediatric extension is not yet implemented in Norway but will probably be later this year. The instrument is still under discussion within the European Economic Area (EEA) and can only be implemented after an agreement has been reached between the EU and the EEA and when the necessary laws and regulations have been implemented in Norway.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL) has scheduled a number of public consultations to present and discuss its proposed regulations, including the fees, implementing the Madrid Protocol. They start in May 2012 and run up to the first week of July, in time to meet the deadline of the Protocol coming into force on July 25 2012. Most participants commented that the proposed fees are high, and requested that they be reduced. A great number of the questions pertained to international registrations where the Philippines is a designated contracting party, and the following points in the proposed regulations were clarified.

Le Cordon Bleu, the famous French culinary school, recently won its appeal to register its name in relation to meat, poultry and game and meat extracts in New Zealand. Its application was rejected by the Intellectual Property Office, and by a hearings officer, because it was said to be a laudatory term that lacked distinctive character. The hearings officer held that "cordon bleu" meant something of high quality, and the addition of the word "le" did not save the application.

An atrial septal defect is a serious heart problem that restricts blood flow between the left and right atria via the interatrial septum. AGA Medical Corporation owns a patent on a medical device that can be applied through a catheter in the patient's heart to close the septum. Occlutech GmbH delivers such devices. In an infringement procedure, the Court of First Instance judged that Occlutech's devices do not comply with the literal wording of AGA's patent, nor are they within the scope of protection when interpreting the claims in accordance with the Protocol for article 69 EPC. In a subsequent appeal, this decision was confirmed.

Mexican IP Law states that industrial companies, traders and service providers may use their marks in commerce, and that the exclusive right to use the marks is obtained through a registration granted by the Mexican Trademark Office.

Regulations pertaining to the voluntary notification of copyright came into force in Malaysia on June 1 2012.

The bill amending the provisions of the Copyright Act, 1957, pending in the Parliament since 2010, has finally been passed. While this bill continues to have several detractors, it was passed unanimously by the Parliament. The President of India has given assent to the bill.

In a recent judgment issued by the Single Member Court of Athens, several issues were addressed regarding design rights, the overall get-up of fitness products and unfair competition.

According to Article 53(b) of the European Patent Convention (EPC), plant varieties and essentially biological processes for the production of plants, are exempt from patentability.