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Trade marks reproducing familar words are popular among people, even more so if they allude to sexuality. Any moves around such marks provoke interest: what will come next? The Chamber of Patent Disputes of the Russian PTO recently busied itself with Kamasutra.

On October 26 2007, the Italian Official Gazette published a decree of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (which is in charge of the Italian Patent and Trade Mark Office) indicating – among other issues – its willingness to reach an agreement with the European Patent Office on prior art searches of Italian patent applications.

A recent press statement by the Music Authors' Copyright Protection Berhad (MACP) has taken the Malaysian entertainment industry to task. It announced that hundreds of entertainment outlets around Kuala Lumpur, the nation's capital, would be subject to severe scrutiny if they did not settle their outstanding royalty payments within the given timeframe.

Collections of personal information are assets that can be used to generate economic benefit. However, if not used in accordance with applicable privacy laws, these assets can become liabilities. Businesses operating in Israel that use third party personal information as an asset, or that collect or process third party personal information in the course of business, should note recent amendments to Israel's privacy laws and ensure that their policies and business activities comply with applicable privacy legislation.

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

The Italian IP system has had its failings in the past, but now things are becoming easier for right holders. Pier Luigi Roncaglia of Società Italiana Brevetti discusses the measures that are helping them out

IP owners succeeded in blocking the USPTO's controversial rules on continuation applications from coming into force just hours before they were due to take effect. But where does that leave applicants now? Eileen McDermott reports

Interview: Sherry Knowles heads the IP team at GSK, which recently persuaded a judge to block the USPTO's plans to introduce rules on claims and continuations

From David Bannerman

From Dawn Franklin