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The high profile of some brands leaves them vulnerable to blurring, tarnishment and parody. Nicola Dagg and Emma Alanko review the latest case law on this controversial subject in the UK, and compare the position in Germany, France and the US

Cooperative agreements with the US government bring many benefits to their recipients, but can also lead to a loss of crucial IP rights. Jay P Urwitz and Davina L Small explain how to negotiate the best deal with federal agencies

Foreign companies know that copyright infringement in China is rife. But as Shen Rengan, deputy commissioner of the National Copyright Administration of China, explains, the country's copyright law offers them a number of avenues for enforcing their rights. Interview by Catherine Sun

Since the emergence of cross-border injunctions in patent cases, attempts to enforce them in other European countries have proved controversial. Frank Peterreins examines a recent case where such an injuction was upheld

Eugene Arievich explains why trade mark owners need to be wary when translating their western trade marks into Cyrillic script, and highlights some pitfalls to avoid

The close relationship between parties in licensing agreements leaves companies vulnerable if their partners go broke. Karen Artz Ash and Bret J Danow provide 10 tips for navigating the US bankruptcy minefield

On June 8, the ECJ Advocate General delivered four opinions on the first cases on database rights to come before the Court. Katharine Stephens analyzes the issues at stake

Australia: The country's leading IP think tank recommended the government overhaul its rules on enforcing trade mark law. The Advisory Council on Intellectual Property called on the government to reintroduce mandatory disclaimers for non-distinctive elements of trade marks and to review its system of trade mark opposition. China: Italy signed its first IP cooperation agreement with China, setting up a framework for educational and technical exchanges in an effort to tackle counterfeiting. Japan: The EU and Japan agreed to closer cooperation to tackle IP infringement in Asia. Officials from both sides pledged to exchange technical information, coordinate education programmes across the region, and raise the issue of IP law enforcement in bilateral talks with other countries. Japan: Japan's Parliament voted in favour of a new law, to come into force in April 2005, which will see the establishment of specialist IP courts. Politicians also agreed to reduce the powers of judges to intervene in employee invention litigation in cases where a company and its employee previously agreed the rules on compensation for patent assignments. Singapore: Parliament passed legislation to overhaul Singapore's IP regime as part of the commitments it made in its free trade agreement with the US. The amended laws, which cover patents, copyright, plant varieties, trade marks and optical disc manufacturing, come into force this year. Vietnam: The Ministry of Health urged pharmaceutical importers to buy generic versions of drugs to cut the country's health care costs after issuing a decision allowing parallel imports of generic drugs.

Sam Mamudi, New York

Rebecca Lawrence and Alastair McCulloch welcome the recent EPO Enlarged Board of Appeals decisions on disclaimers, and examine the implications for patent owners