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Many companies have decided to become more open about the need to tackle counterfeiting and piracy, prompting international cooperation in the fight against the copiers. Introducing a series of articles looking at trends in counterfeiting, James Nurton reports from the MARQUES conference in Prague

Emma Barraclough, Hong Kong

Herb Wamsley, executive director, Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)

Any truly international IP owner has to keep up-to-date with enforcement developments in the Americas, both North and South. In many areas, form patentability to copyright, the US courts have set standards that have been followed in the region and throughout the world. This year, the Supreme Court has produced two IP-related judgments, which MIP's Americas editor Sam Mamudi analyzes in the introduction. One focuses on the safe harbour for researchers who use patented compounds; the other on the topical issue of music downloads.

Emma Barraclough, Hong Kong and Sam Mamudi, New York

For many years the English patents judges have striven to reduce costs and time to trial in patent cases. The streamlined procedure introduced in 2003 is the latest such move. It is proving a great success. Although the procedure was primarily intended for use in smaller patent cases, the flexibility afforded to judges in the way that they can manage cases has influenced the conduct of all patent litigation. Actions are now coming to trial in shorter periods of time (nine months to trial is not uncommon), and trials are shorter in duration. Two recent cases may be seen as indicators of the increasing use of the procedure, and a further shift toward more flexible and efficient patent litigation.

On August 15 2005, the Beijing Second Intermediate People's Court granted a pre-action injunction in favour of a plaintiff whose name translates as Beijing Red Lion Paints Co Ltd. The injunction was granted against the defendant, whose name translates as Beijing Red Lion Jing Paints Trading Co Ltd. This is the first time a Beijing court has granted such an injunction since the revised Patents Law 2000, Trade Mark Law 2001 and Copyright Law 2001 were enacted.

Indian politicians are discussing whether to make another amendment to the country's patent rules. On June 20 2005, the government notified the Patents (Second Amendment) Rules, 2005. It was widely expected that the draft Rules would reverse the exorbitant hike in the filing fee introduced in a previous amendment to the Rules.

Companies working in the field of biotechnology could face limited protection for their inventions following the introduction of a revised patent law in Germany. Harald von Campenhausen outlines the pitfalls and how rights owners can best avoid them

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