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Recently released guidelines for USPTO examiners should help to clarify what is patentable in the murky area of business methods. John L Dauer, Jr explains what the change in policy will mean

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 internet has changed the way we do business. We size up our holiday options in our lunch breaks, select our Christmas gifts online without moving from our seats and communicate with friends and associates by e-mail to plan weekend events and corporate deals. Ours is a digital age, and today's business must harness the capabilities of the internet if it is to succeed in both global and local markets. IP practices are no exception, but while IP firms have not been slow to follow the digital trends in terms of marketing their services, the same cannot always be said for the software they use to support their work.

US: The control of the international domain name system will remain in the hands of ICANN, a summit of world leaders decided on November 15. Delegates from more than 100 countries meeting at the World Summit on the Information Society also agreed to set up an Internet Governance Forum, which would be run by international governments, NGOs and businesses, to raise internet management issues.

1. D. The new IP High Court replaced the IP division of the Tokyo High Court in April, and handed down its first ruling on September 30.

Despite worries among the internet community, .eu launched smoothly on December 7. But, as James Nurton reports, the real test of the new domain is still to come

As IP owners enter into more and more cross-border licensing deals, they must be increasingly vigilant to the legal traps that await the unwary. Rodney De Boos and Jeff Bergmann of Davies Collison Cave explain how to negotiate Australia's legal landscape

Consumer groups argue that parallel trading leads to cheaper prices but trade mark owners say it jeopardizes their long-term relationships with both distributors and consumers. Peter Hallett of Griffith Hack explains what IP owners can do to stop the trade in Australia

Australia has a range of remedies available for IP owners who want to stop the trafficking of products that infringe their trade marks and copyright at the border. Melissa Preston and Thai Loi of Shelston IP provide a guide to the rules

Brand owners are developing ever-more innovative ways of distinguishing their products. But getting legal protection for new kinds of marks can present challenges. Emma Barraclough introduces a survey of seven Asian jurisdictions that asks the questions that IP owners need the answers to