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In a recent Australian case, the courts refused a patent for a business method because the invention did not benefit society as a whole. James Walsh and Robert Cooper examine business method patents and consider whether the greater good is a valid reason for refusal

Judging what intellectual property a firm should protect, when and to what extent, are all critical questions for any technology-based venture - as the current Blackberry case demonstrates all too well. Stephen Bates reports

As part of its bid to enter the WTO, Vietnam has consolidated its confusing maze of IP rules and regulations into a streamlined law that comes into force in the middle of the year. Chris Vale examines what the changes mean for IP owners

Rules on copyright levies on PCs and other IT devices are not harmonized in Europe. Alexander Duisberg and Fabian Niemann examine the implications of some recent disputes in Germany and compare the scope and level of copyright levies in different countries

The success of several blue-chip companies in licensing their IP portfolios has made executives alert to the benefits of IP commercialization. But, say Don Davis and David Crawford, there are steps you need to take before you can be thinking of matching these corporate leaders

This month, MIP publishes the second and final part of the annual IP survey, ranking the leading firms in trade mark/copyright work worldwide. The tables on the following pages have been compiled following five months of research among IP practitioners. Here's how they were compiled

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

EU: On February 7, the European Commission took legal action against royalty collector CISAC, accusing it of infringing competition law, saying the refusal to grant licences across multiple countries breached Article 81 of the EU competition treaty. CISAC said this was "a narrow and formalistic approach to the complex issue of the collective management of copyrights in Europe".

IP management software systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Web-enabled technology means that systems can be easily deployed across a business and more specifically, because the software is more flexible, the IP department is able to utilize it for more complex business strategy and financial accounting purposes. These developments are invaluable when many IP departments are experiencing increased pressure to accurately track costs, manage and reduce their costs and generate accurate budgets and forecasts.

Once considered an easy target for western companies seeking to assert their patents, Asian companies from Japan to Taiwan are taking the initiative and negotiating some interesting licensing deals of their own. Emma Barraclough examines the trends