Search results for

Has the European Court of Justice given the green light to parallel imports into Europe? Tesco says yes; Levi’s says no. Many lawyers say it is a bit more complicated than that. Tabitha Parker reports

Mr Justice Laddie's judgment in Arsenal Football Plc v Matthew Reed could deal a serious blow to those engaged in the business of merchandising in the UK.

Ralph Cunningham, Hong Kong

Two of Asia's biggest names in IP have joined together to form a new specialized practice in Singapore. IP law firm Ella Cheong & G Mirandah and patent and trade mark attorneys Spruson & Ferguson Pte Ltd, the Singapore branch of Australia's Spruson & Ferguson, will be launched formally on June 6. But the new firm, Ella Cheong Mirandah & Sprusons, is already open for business. The link between the two Singapore firms was announced during the AIPPI congress in Melbourne in the last week of March. It is expected that all staff from Sprusons's Singapore office and from Ella Cheong & G Mirandah will join the new set-up. Cheong is retiring as a partner of Wilkinson & Grist, the Hong Kong law firm, and will chair Ella Cheong Mirandah & Sprusons.

The Ukraine's reputation as the world's most persistent IP violator was confirmed in this year's US Trade Representative Special 301 Report. The Ukraine, identified as a Priority Foreign Country on March 12, almost certainly faces trade sanctions at the end of June unless it takes radical moves to address its severe IP problems.

Paraguay’s new patent law is effective as of January this year. Cristóbal González, an attorney at the Patent Department of BERKEMEYER Attorneys & Counselors in Asunción, examines some contentious aspects of the new legislation

New policy documents attempt to clear up uncertainties about the crime of counterfeiting in China. It should be useful for IP owners, but Tony Tang says elements of the criminal prosecution rules need further clarification

The Advocate General’s Opinion in the Davidoff and Levi’s case was welcomed by both brand owners and parallel importers. David Rose analyzes the Opinion and suggests that brand owners have slightly more to be pleased about

Oscar M Becerril, of Becerril, Coca & Becerril, SC in Mexico City, reviews the various options available for protecting container designs in Mexico

Ingrid Hering, London