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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

The internet has changed the way we do business. We size up our holiday options in our lunch breaks, select our Christmas gifts online without moving from our seats and communicate with friends and associates by e-mail to plan weekend events and corporate deals. Ours is a digital age, and today's business must harness the capabilities of the internet if it is to succeed in both global and local markets. IP practices are no exception, but while IP firms have not been slow to follow the digital trends in terms of marketing their services, the same cannot always be said for the software they use to support their work.

1. D. The new IP High Court replaced the IP division of the Tokyo High Court in April, and handed down its first ruling on September 30.

US: The control of the international domain name system will remain in the hands of ICANN, a summit of world leaders decided on November 15. Delegates from more than 100 countries meeting at the World Summit on the Information Society also agreed to set up an Internet Governance Forum, which would be run by international governments, NGOs and businesses, to raise internet management issues.

Sam Mamudi, New York

Canada's courts have reaffirmed the principle of first come, first served for trade mark applications. Robert A MacDonald and Jennifer Galeano examine what the new standard means for rights owners

Isabel Davies reveals how INTA decides when to file amicus briefs in trade mark-related cases and, below, INTA subcommittee chairs describe the impact of INTA submissions in different regions

The future of world trade lies in the hands of politicians from 148 countries. Since September they have been debating and number-crunching about agricultural subsidies and farm tariffs ahead of a showdown in Hong Kong in December. Three IP issues are part of the debate, but their resolution depends on the outcome on agriculture. Stéphanie Bodoni introduces a series of articles that explain the complexities behind finding a long-sought consensus on these three key areas

Australia has a range of remedies available for IP owners who want to stop the trafficking of products that infringe their trade marks and copyright at the border. Melissa Preston and Thai Loi of Shelston IP provide a guide to the rules

Kathryn Harrison of Watermark explains how IP owners can maximize their chances of getting their trade marks registered in Australia and outlines the most effective strategies for handling objections