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Following a period of calm, Russian law has again made a slight move towards better protection of the owners of IP rights. The major changes in the IP-specific laws were made in late 2002/early 2003. Since then, amendments have occasionally been made to the non-specific laws, such as the Criminal Code.

Patented inventions in Ireland provide a large source of revenue in the pharmaceutical and technology industries. Ireland's tax exemption in respect of certain patent royalties has been one of the driving factors behind investment by multinationals, principally from the US, in the Irish economy. After much recent speculation about the possible removal of the Irish patent exemption from the Irish statute books, in a welcome development, the Irish government in its recent budget retained the tax incentive for companies creating patentable intellectual property in Ireland. In this month's piece we give an overview of the main provisions of the exemption.

Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) are provided under Regulation 1768/92/EEC and extend the lifetime of patents covering medicines by a maximum of five years. In particular they provide compensation for the effectively reduced lifetime of such patents caused by the lengthy marketing approval procedures which have to be followed before new medicines can be launched on the market.

As the deadline for the implementation of Europe's enforcement directive looms, Hanne Weywardt and Hea Vinskov examine the lessons from a recent case, involving luxury goods trade marks, in Denmark

Under the European Patent Convention (EPC) divisional applications can be filed. Cascading divisional applications are also allowed. The divisional application must be filed within the time period set out in Rule 25, that is at the latest on the day before grant or rejection (unless the appeal is successful) of the previous (generation divisional) application. Further, although the EPC does not intend to allow it, there is no provision against double patenting.

Notwithstanding the efforts of the Beijing AIC to strengthen IP enforcement by banning sales of certain well-known brands of goods in the Silk Market and other markets in Beijing, stall operators have continued to offer counterfeits for sale. As a result, Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada joined forces and instituted legal proceedings against five stall operators as well as their landlord Beijing Xiushi Haosen Clothing Market Co Ltd.

Legislative changes coupled with recent court decisions have established dilution as viable grounds for opposition across Latin America. But, say Iris Quadrio and Menachem Kaplan, there is still some way to go before the region fully embraces the doctrine

In a recent case, the English Patents Court tried the issue of infringement separately from the issue of validity. While this was a first for the UK, it is normal practice in Düsseldorf and other German courts. Alan Johnson asks whether the hearing is likely to set a precedent and make English trials more like their German counterparts

In less than six months Germany will host the 18th tournament of the FIFA World Cup, attracting thousands of visitors eager to support their favourite football team. Marketing opportunities will be plenty. But what legal protection will Germany offer to official sponsors to protect them against the marketing practices of unofficial third parties? Boris Uphoff, Rohan Massey and Sarah Brown explain

Emma Barraclough, Hong Kong