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Five Central American states and the Dominican Republic have recently signed a free trade agreement with the US. Luis Ernesto Guandique Chávez, Luis F Ruiz, Ricardo Anibal Mejia and Ricardo Bendaña examine the impact of the treaty in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua

IP protection in Chile has been overhauled over the past two years, in accord with international agreements. Marcos Morales of Silva & Cia explains that the result is stronger protection for IP owners

Australia's Trade Mark Act has been amended for the first time. David Wilson and Michelle Groves of Deacons assess what the changes mean for practitioners

The MedImmune case transformed the relationship between patent licensors and licensees. Nicholas Groombridge considers whether it will lead to a wave of patent invalidation lawsuits

AstraZeneca is using cutting-edge technology in a bid to keep counterfeits out of the supply chain. Emma Barraclough finds out how its new system will work

Counterfeiting is the scourge of IP owners. But if they are to tackle the problem effectively, they need to understand why people disregard their IP rights and ensure they are using the latest enforcement techniques. MIP provides a guide. Peter Ollier, Emma Barraclough, James Nurton and Shahnaz Mahmud

US patent litigation is governed by what is known as the American Rule. The American Rule is that attorney fees are not awardable to the winning party (that is, each litigant must pay his own attorney fees) unless statutorily or contractually authorized. In patent infringement litigation, Section 285 of the Patent Act provides the statutory exception but only in exceptional cases. It states that the "court in exceptional cases may award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party". An award of attorneys' fees under Section 285, however, is only available in "limited circumstances" and "is an exception to the American Rule" (Forest Labs, Inc v Abbott Labs, 339 F3d 1324, 1329 (Fed Cir 2003)).

In 2005 the Dubai Customs Authority announced its plan to set up a dedicated Intellectual Property Unit (IPU) to help curb the import, export and trans-shipment of counterfeit goods and products through all ports, including the Jebel Ali Free Zone Port. The first unit of its kind in the region, it has been finally implemented and the IPU is now ready to accept brand registrations and brand owners' complaints.

Making sure that your valuable technology is protected when you invest in China poses plenty of problems for IP counsel. Jinchen Song and Nancy Fix of Deqi provide a guide to getting it right

Qingfa Meng and Bin Zhang of CCPIT explain how IP owners can make the most of Customs and the AIC in their trade mark enforcement strategies