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Statistics show that in Argentina, as in the rest of the world, there is a constant growth of piracy related to copyrighted works, making adequate copyright protection increasingly relevant.

In a recent ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of South Africa, Emirates Industries was ordered to withdraw the packaging of its Mister Bean Baked Beans product. The ASA Directorate found that the packaging contravened Clauses 8 and 9 of the ASA Code, in that it exploited the advertising goodwill, and imitated the packaging of, Tiger Brands' Koo Baked Beans.

• WTO report deals blow to US The WTO's panel report in the US-China IP case has confirmed that the USTR lost on the key issue of whether China's thresholds for criminal IP enforcement are too high. The 147-page report, published on January 26, was hailed by Acting US Trade Representative Peter Allegier as "an important victory" but he admitted disappointment over the section on China's criminal enforcement. The findings of the report are the same as those of a preliminary report that was leaked last October.

Austria

London loses a patent judge The Patents Court in London is losing one of its three most specialised judges, after Mr Justice Kitchin was appointed to hear general legal matters around the country. The appointment, known as being "on circuit", means Kitchin will be required to hear cases in Crown courts, including serious criminal trials. The appointment is expected to last two years.

Atsushi Okada of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto outlines two legislative reforms enacted in 2008 concerning anti-spam laws and internet filtering regulations, as well as recent legal developments within the Japanese government toward potential copyright law reforms

Shinya Jitsuhiro of Shiga International Patent Office outlines the implications of Patent Act amendments in the life science/biotechnology field

Kazuo Aoki of Shobayashi International Patent & Trademark Office outlines current trends in the examination of patent applications concerning computer software-related inventions and key points that non-Japanese applicants should be aware of

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Yoshikazu Iwase of Anderson Mori & Tomotsune outlines seven important Japanese IP cases adjudicated in 2008