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IP offices around the world face an ever-growing range of challenges, from responding to calls for harmonization and the surge in demand for IP services to holding on to well-qualified staff to. IP Australia explain their strategy

Stéphanie Bodoni, London

The Intellectual Property Office (IPOPhil) and the EC-ASEAN Cooperation Programme (ECAP II) held a five-day Patent Application Drafting and Prosecution seminar from October 10 to 15, which was conducted by Karl Rackette, a European and German patent attorney. At the seminar, IPOPhil distributed a draft regulation aimed at introducing a qualifying examination for patent agents. At the moment, there is no formal patent attorney or patent agent profession in the Philippines. Patent applications are handled by lawyers with assistance from people with technical knowledge, many of whom are former IPOPhil patent examiners. The objective of the proposed regulation is to develop a patent agent profession in the country. The main points of the proposal are as follows:

In April 2005 the EPO's Board of Appeal published its T 998/99 decision on the exhaustion of priority under the European Patent Convention (EPC). The case analyzed whether a European patent application may validly claim priority of an earlier application, although another European patent application had already claimed the priority of this earlier application.

Brand owners are developing ever-more innovative ways of distinguishing their products. But getting legal protection for new kinds of marks can present challenges. Emma Barraclough introduces a survey of seven Asian jurisdictions that asks the questions that IP owners need the answers to

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

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

Emma Barraclough, Hong Kong

Recent changes to the provisions on threats in UK patent law have created a more flexible system for patent owners and lawyers. But similar changes are now also needed for trade marks and design rights. Rachel Montagnon and Joel Smith provide an overview

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