Search results for

On July 1 2009, the Rule on Mandatory Legal Aid Service, which was issued by the Philippine Supreme Court on February 10 this year, takes effect. This Rule mandates practising lawyers to render free legal aid services equivalent to a minimum of 60 hours a year, in all cases whether civil, criminal and administrative involving indigent and pauper litigants needing lawyers. The purpose of the Rule is to improve access to justice by the less privileged thereby enhancing the duty of lawyers to society as agents of social change, and to the courts.

On May 28 2009 the German Bundestag passed the Law on the simplification and modernisation of patent law, which introduces major changes to nullity proceedings in patent matters.

The China State Copyright Administration published the new Implementing Measures on Administrative Actions against Copyright Infringements by Decree no 6 on April 21 2009. This came into force on June 15 2009 and replaced the old measures issued in September 1 2003.

In a recent decision concerning the Amazon.com 1-click ordering system, the Patent Appeal Board re-examined the criteria for patentable subject matter in relation to business method patents. While finding the subject matter not obvious in accordance with the test adopted by the Supreme Court of Canada, the Board held that it failed to fall within the statutory definition of invention as qualified by judicial interpretation.

The European directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions 98/44/EC was transformed into national law on June 10 2005. The Austrian parliament has connected the establishment of a special monitoring committee to this transformation. This committee (the Biopatent Monitoring Committee) had the task of monitoring the impact of this transformation into Austrian law on

The Australian patent system has a troublesome beast called the innovation patent. It is possible to obtain both standard patents and innovation patents. Under the innovation patent system there is no test for obviousness, but rather a test for an innovative step. Further, in certain circumstances, it is possible to file innovation patents based on standard patents and vice versa.

The Kenya Industrial Property Institute and its managing director, Professor James Otieno-Odek, have been busy lately.

Industrial models and designs are governed and protected by Executive Order N° 6,673/63, as ratified by Law N° 16,478. Section 3 of the Order defines industrial models and designs as the shape or appearance given or applied to an industrial product to confer to it an ornamental character.

China's Supreme People's Court has explained how IP trials should be conducted in the economic crisis in a formal Opinion that may result in courts granting fewer injunctions

Alison Brimelow's decision not to seek a second term as president of the EPO has opened up a race to succeed her