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Hong Kong: A Hong Kong court handed down its stiffest punishment for a motion picture counterfeiting case, sentencing a husband and wife piracy team to six-and-a-half years in jail for conspiracy after the pair jumped bail. Raids in 1998 revealed the couple had over 22 million pirated VCDs and 41 VCD replication lines. New Zealand: Pfizer failed to persuade the New Zealand courts to allow it to patent methods of medical treatments of humans, after the US pharmaceutical company tried to test the scope of the country's patent law. Japan: The Japanese Fair Trade Commission told Microsoft it must overturn its ban on computer manufacturers suing the software company for patent infringement. The US company has already pledged to drop the no-litigation clause from future contracts but the Japanese watchdog wants Microsoft to cancel the provision retroactively. Microsoft said it would challenge the decision. Malaysia: The Ministry for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs said it was considering reforming the country's legal system to set up a separate IP court. At the moment IP cases are heard in the commercial division of the High Court, but a backlog of cases has prompted the government re-think. Australia: The Australian Senate passed the US Free Trade Agreement Implementation Bill 2004 on August 13 but amendments introduced by the opposition Labor Party are set to make it harder for originator pharmaceutical companies to bring patent litigation against generic rivals.

California's Supreme Court has ruled that wine which is labelled Napa Valley should come mostly from vines in the Napa Valley area.

In two recent decisions (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc & Others v Gaynor David Ball & Others, High Court Action No HC-03-C04467, May 17 2004; July 19 2004; and August 10 2004) the High Court considered UK copyright law concerning devices that circumvent copy protection and litigation practice regarding statements of truth.

Following the first list of well-known marks published by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) in February this year, on June 21 2004, the SAIC published the second list, this time naming 26 marks. A total of 69 marks have now been formally recognized as well-known since the implementation of the Regulations for Recognition and Protection of Well-Known Marks last June.

Asia is increasingly asserting itself as a place that can generate and exploit its own intellectual property. Governments across the region are becoming more and more aware that long term economic success depends on developing intellectual capital and stimulating ideas, rather than simply offering cheap manufacturing facilities for foreign inventors to turn their own designs into final products.

Vietnam's politicians have set themselves an ambitious programme of legislative reform to bring the country’s intellectual property regime closer in line with international norms. Nguyen T Hong Hai examines the government's plans

The last 12 months have seen several important IP initiatives in Thailand. Moreover, the country is readying itself for long-awaited accession to the Paris Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty and even the Madrid Protocol. Vipa Chuenjaipanich and Edward J Kelly consider the changes already in place and those on the drawing board

Malaysian intellectual property law is in a transitional phase. But recent legal developments show the government is serious about helping IP owners to protect their assets and spurring domestic innovation. Haslyna Hashim and AJ Surin explain what officials have been doing to make Malaysia more attractive to businesses that rely heavily on intellectual property

The Intellectual Property Code has streamlined the procedures that inventors must follow to protect their industrial designs in the Philippines. Ignacio S Sapalo offers a step-by-step guide to would-be applicants

In June 2004 Japan's parliament passed two laws that will transform the country’s IP litigation rules. Yoshitaka Sonoda explains how the new legislation will affect IP owners