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The "Postkantoor" decision of the European Court of Justice (case C-363/99 "Postkantoor") found among other points that point 6 of Directive 89/104 prevents a trade mark registration authority from registering a mark for certain goods and services on condition that they do not possess a particular characteristic. OHIM has already refused to accept some disclaimers on the basis of that finding. But national trade mark offices struggle with the breadth of the Court's finding.

The Russian Patent Office refused registration of the trade mark In God We Trust, which was filed by a Russian company for goods in class 16 (paper and paper products) and services in class 37 (insurance, financial activities and related services). The applicant did not agree with the rejection of the Patent Office and appealed the official action. The Court then cancelled the decision of the Patent Office. In its turn the Patent Office filed a complaint against the decision of the lower court to the Court of Appeal, which cancelled the decision of the court of first instance based on the following arguments.

On January 17 2009, the regulations of Legislative Decree No 1072 regarding the "Pharmaceutical Test Data Protection and other undisclosed data of pharmaceutical products" were published in the Peruvian gazette, El Peruano.

The patent prosecution highway (PPH) pilot programme between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) was implemented on February 2 2009 to allow applicants to obtain corresponding patents in the United States and Singapore more quickly and efficiently. Under the PPH, when at least one claim in an application in either one of these countries has been found to be patentable, the applicant can apply for fast track examination of the corresponding claim(s) in the US and Singapore patent applications, respectively.

Barcode technology trialled in Sweden A new anticounterfeiting system to identify genuine medicines is to be piloted in Sweden later this year. The 2D data matrix barcode, revealed last month by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations (EFPIA), contains a unique serial number and when scanned will alert pharmacists to the possibility of a counterfeit product.

Selecting the right venue is a vital step when litigating in China. Peter Ollier explains why plaintiffs may benefit from considering courts beyond Beijing and Shanghai

As policy makers search for ways to tackle climate change, IP owners are becoming concerned that patent rights in green technologies could be under threat. Eileen McDermott and Emma Barraclough report

Practitioners in six jurisdictions explain how the law protects event organisers and sponsors from ambush marketing

Last year Taylor Wessing launched an index to rank IP protection in different countries. Here's how they fare one year on

The Australian High Court has issued a landmark case on the idea and form of expression dichotomy under copyright law.