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Emma Barraclough, Hong Kong

Canada's highest court has issued a ruling that limits the protection provided by the country's trade mark law.

On April 1 2005, the Singapore authorities amended the patent rules. The amendment was intended to clarify the deadlines for the various search and examination options for patent applications filed in Singapore. The search and examination options include traditional substantive examination as well as reliance on prescribed information from a corresponding foreign patent.

The British Horseracing Board (BHB) has received a welcome endorsement of its overseas data supply contracts in recent proceedings taken against it by Irish bookmakers. The proceedings went to trial in the second week of November in the Irish Commercial Court before Justice Kelly. The group of independent Irish bookmakers representing 357 bookmaking shops were seeking repayment of about €20m that had been paid by them under a contract for the supply of elements of the BHB's pre race data. A settlement was reached on day two of the trial that involved the repayment claim being dropped in its entirety, and an affirmation by the bookmakers of the contracts under which the data had been supplied to them since 2002.

Recently the Benelux Trademarks Office (BTO) announced that as from January 1 2006 the opposition procedure will be open for all classes. This means that oppositions can be filed against all applications filed on or after January 1 2006.

This year saw key changes to the Regulation governing Community trade marks. But is further reform necessary? Jeremy Phillips wonders what lessons legislators could learn from the trade mark system of the mythical jurisdiction of Atlantis

A reference for a preliminary ruling under Article 234 EC was received from the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Germany) at the European Court of Justice on March 5 2004 concerning the interpretation of Article 5 (1)(b) of First Council Directive 89/104/EEC of December 21 1988 in the case Medion AG (petitioner) v Thomson multimedia Sales German & Austria GmbH (defendant) dealing with the following question:

An increasing number of foreign companies are expanding in China by way of local mergers and acquisitions. In the first of a two-part guide, Catherine Sun explains what overseas IP counsel need to know to ensure they get the best deal for their client

More and more people are incorporating companies in Hong Kong whose names include trade marks that do not belong to them. These so-called shadow companies can confuse customers and the authorities into thinking they are related to the genuine brand owner. Adelaide Yu provides strategies for dealing with the problem

The award of the Olympic Games 2012 to London was applauded, especially by sports fans in the UK. But will advertisers be as pleased with the government's proposals to prevent ambush marketing? Pauline Dore investigates