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Maintaining an IP portfolio can be a costly exercise, particularly where patents and trade marks are concerned. However, domain names can generate tangible financial rewards without having to cost the earth. Often the registration of a URL can prove to be one of the most valuable investments a company can make.

AUSTRALIA: The Attorney-General unveiled far-reaching copyright reform proposals on May 14. There will be two new exceptions for private use – allowing TV and radio programmes to be recorded and watched or listened to once only at a later time and allowing copies of copyrighted material to be made in a different format. But the government said it will also introduce a range of new measures including on-the-spot fines and the opportunity to recover profits from copyright pirates, as well as making it easier for copyright owners to prove ownership of their rights and giving more power to Customs.

No one admits to being a patent troll, but everyone knows they exist. Where are they hiding and what do they do? Join James Nurton on a quest into the deepest, darkest reaches of patent law to find out

Technology transfer provides the scope for creativity in the organization and structure of what is usually a long-term relationship. The bottom line is always lasting profitability for the respective parties.

Stéphanie Bodoni, London

If you discover someone is trying to register a similar mark to your own in Australia, but you have not protected your own rights, all is not lost. Anna Cormack and Shyama Jayaswal explain how international trade mark owners can rely on their mark's reputation to prevent the registration of a similar trade mark

Growing demand for highly skilled employees in China means high staff turnover and the risk that your company's IP could end up in your competitors' hands. Connie Carnabuci explains how well-drafted employment agreements could protect you

Apple Corps, the Beatles' own record label, is to appeal a ruling handed down by the High Court of England and Wales on May 8 which cleared Apple Computer of breaching a trade mark co-existence agreement by using its Apple logo on its iTunes music downloading service.

Once again the Swedish legislator has looked into abolishing the traditional teacher's exception, which gives Swedish university researchers and teachers full ownership and control of their research results. The inquiry addresses a few interesting questions, and was motivated by the finding that not enough research results from Swedish universities are used, either commercially or any other way that benefits the surrounding community.

In order to protect their valuable brands from infringement and dilution, American companies often engage in a diligent monitoring of the marketplace for third party uses of marks that may be confusingly similar to their brands. These monitoring programmes typically include a review of every domain name registration which incorporates a formative of the company's particular trade mark. Aggressive trade mark owners will take enforcement measures against third party owners of domain names incorporating formatives of the mark at issue. These aggressive tactics can often lead the trade mark owner into conflict with a foreign entity using the identical mark and owning a domain name registration which incorporates such mark.