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China: The Trade Mark Office released a draft version of its revised trade mark examination guidelines for consultation. The previous guidelines, drawn up in 1994, had never been made public. The final version must be approved by the State Council, but could be in force by the end of the year.

More and more US patent applicants are assertively exercising their provisional rights against their rivals, both in the US and abroad, by offering a licence to their invention before a patent has issued. Brett Alten, James Hough and Charles Holland explain the policies companies should put in place to respond to the threat

US litigation is expensive and time-consuming, while USPTO reexamination provides limited involvement and grounds of attack for challengers. John Isacson explores proposed new legislation that promises to offer greater opportunities to patent challengers in the USPTO

James Nurton interviews ASIPI president Hugo Berkemeyer about protection, enforcement and politics in IP in Latin America

Pharmaceutical patents are at the forefront of litigation in Canada. Andrew Bernstein and Grant Worden of Torys LLP in Toronto explain why, and consider proposed changes to rules on generic drugs

Stéphanie Bodoni, London

The US Supreme Court this years handed down rulings in two of the most anticipated IP cases of recent years. Sam Mamudi analyzes what the judgments mean for rights owners

Emma Barraclough, Hong Kong

The United Arab Emirates recently signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the United States. The purpose of the agreement is to develop ways for both countries to expand their bilateral trade and investment relationship. The value of trade between the US and the UAE was reported to be in the vicinity of $4.6 billion in the year 2003 and with an open market and a large economy, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should bring more investment into the country and this figure could grow exponentially. A good example of how much open markets can do is the success that the various free zones established in the UAE have had. The FTA will also enhance the technology base here. But what does this mean for companies coming into the UAE?

Singapore's government could soon consolidate the way that it regulates medicines and other health-related products. At the moment, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Singapore's equivalent of the US Food And Drug Administration (FDA), regulates medicines and other health-related products. The HSA's powers are contained in a wide variety of legislation, such as the Medicines Act, the Poisons Act, the Sale of Drugs Act and the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act. Through these laws, the HSA controls the manufacture, import, distribution, promotion and sale of health-related products in Singapore.