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Practitioners in the US and Canada face the prospect of exciting changes in the future as courts tackle fundamental issues about the limits of trade mark and copyright protection. James Nurton reports

The UK Copyright Directorate launched a consultation on the implementation of the EU Copyright Directive (the Directive) into UK law on August 7 2002. The Directive entered into force on July 22 2001 and member states are required to transpose it into domestic law by December 2002. The aim of the Directive is to harmonize rights in certain key areas, in particular to deal with the challenges of the internet, e-commerce and digital technology.

? Malaysia: Shopping mall owners have lobbied the government to give them more time to eliminate the sale of pirated goods from their premises. The commerce ministry had given the owners of 12 shopping malls until February 1 to ensure that no fake products were being sold in the malls.

The situation of intellectual property protection in Russia has long been described by experts as disastrous. The share of illegal videocassettes in the Russian market is 50%, of audiocassettes 64%, and of DVDs almost 100%. In this connection, at the session held on October 3 2002 the Russian government determined the list of urgent anti-piracy measures. A specialized government committee led by the Prime Minister will be engaged in stage-by-stage development of the measures connected with intellectual property protection. It is supposed to improve the legislative base by working out amendments and changes into the existing laws and acceptance of new legal acts. Moreover, Russia intends to sign and ratify international agreements on copyright and related rights protection (namely, the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations, the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty).

Poland has recently adopted provisions concerning the legal protection of biotechnological inventions. This has been implemented by revision of the Industrial Property Law so as to adjust it to the provisions of Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 6 1998. The respective revision of the Industrial Property Law became effective as from October 18 2002.

Another round in the battle over the famous marks Bud and Budweiser has ground to a halt at the steps of the House of Lords in the UK.

In a follow-up to July’s article explaining the new European Community Design, Martin Schlötelburg and Clemens Rübel examine the advantages of applying for a design right alongside a trade mark

Pursuant to the law it is not possible to reserve a company name in Poland. No register of company names is run in our country. However, a company name can be recorded in the National Court register along with data about the company (including, for instance, the nature of the company, such as a limited liability partnership or a joint stock company). Only companies domiciled in Poland can be recorded in the National Court register.

Trade mark owners could benefit from proposed changes contained in the Treaty of Nice that entered into force on February 1.

Due to the new criteria applied by the Supreme Court of Justice by means of the Thesis: P Lxxvii/99 International Treaties, international treaties are categorized above the federal laws, and placed immediately under the Constitution.