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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

In the country's latest bid to open up the patent system by offering cheaper, quicker dispute resolution, the UK Patent Office has launched a low-cost opinion service. But, after the first four cases, not everyone is convinced it will solve the problems. James Nurton reports

In keeping with the general proliferation of the Madrid Union, there are now 12 African member countries but only in Algeria, Mozambique and Morocco are all international registrations, designating those countries, certainly effective and enforceable. In Egypt which has a mixed legal system, it is unclear whether the necessary legislation has been implemented but in practice the Registry and the courts appear to recognize international registrations.

Licensing arrangements provide the ability for a trade mark owner to generate revenue and capitalize on the reputation of their brands. The relationship between a licensor and licensee is, in many ways, an interdependent one. Therefore, trade mark owners carefully select licensing partners based on their reputation for quality and business acumen to ensure that the integrity of the licensor's valuable proprietary rights will be protected. Given the importance of this unique business relationship, licensors typically include language in their licensing agreements that requires the licensor's consent prior to any assignment by a licensee of the licensed rights and obligations.

MIP Brand Management Forum 2006, Great Eastern Hotel, London, UK, March 28 – 29.

The entire revocation of a European patent is very rare, and can take up to seven years. Jürgen Kaiser looks at the advantages of another option - filing observations while the patent is still in the examination phase

Ben Moshinsky, London

As president of the German Federal Patent Court, Dr Hans-Georg Landfermann oversees decisions affecting the validity of all patents registered in Germany. Ben Moshinsky spoke to him about the role of the court and the future of European litigation