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If you think that you see a dog in the picture you are wrong. This is a patent. Plant varieties and animal breeds are on the periphery of intellectual property. Patents are most immediately associated with inventions, designs and utility models. Indeed, trade marks and patents are registered in thousands and laws and regulations are mainly focused on those areas.

In a recent case, the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed the cassation complaint filed by Kraft Foods Polska and decided that the trade marks Prince Polo and Marco Polo are dissimilar. The owner of the earlier trade mark Prince Polo claimed that there is a likelihood of confusion as the marks contain an identical element Polo and the goods are identical. They also referred to the fact that the Prince Polo trade mark enjoys reputation in Poland submitting proper evidence.

On September 5 2011, the Court of Appeals dismissed the copyright infringement case filed by television network giant ABS-CBN Corporation against ABC Development Corporation (ABC 5) involving the popular TV show Willing-Willie hosted by its former talent, Willie Revillame. ABS-CBN alleged that Willing-Willie is confusingly similar to its programme Wowowee which was then hosted by Revillame.

The Scottish government is urging the UK culture minister to support the company that has been approved to register a .scot domain

Elizabeth Barnhard and Susie Cheng have joined Leason Ellis’ pharma/biotech practice group. Barnhard was previously senior patent counsel at pharmaceutical company Wyeth and Cheng was previously with Jones Day.

The BBC is taking legal action in Italy to prevent a rival version of its hit show Strictly Come Dancing from being shown by Silvio Berlusconi’s television network Mediaset

Google has learnt the hard way that volume matters with smartphone patents. The more you have, the more you can bet – and the longer you can stay in the game. Its aggressive moves to build its stake threaten to distort the patent market and affect more than just smartphones. By Karen Bolipata

A monthly column devoted to IP curiosities and controversies, named in honour of John of Utynam – who received the world’s first recorded patent in 1449 diary@managingip.com

Obtaining a US trade mark registration for a mark does not, by itself, confer rights in perpetuity. Rather, there are certain requirements that a trade mark owner must adhere to in order to preserve rights in and to a registered mark. The most simple of those requirements is (with certain exceptions) the obligation to continue to use the mark in commerce in connection with the goods or services identified in the registration.

The Thailand Cosmetic Act protects consumers of cosmetics and categorises cosmetics into specially controlled designations. According to the Cosmetic Act of 1992, the focus of the regulation has been changed from pre-marketing activities to post-marketing activities, originating from the perception that utilisation of technical requirements and practice of good manufacturing guidelines ensures the quality of cosmetic products. Manufacturers or importers of specifically controlled cosmetic products must notify the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of all required information according to the law. The FDA is responsible for providing suggestions or recommendations to the Minister of Public Health on matters pertaining to cosmetics, providing advice or opinions on registration and revocation of registration of specially controlled cosmetics as well as all other issues concerning cosmetic regulations.