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Setting a royalty rate is an essential part of any technology agreement. Gareth Morgan considers the lessons from three recent English cases where royalty clauses were disputed

Emma Barraclough

The Singapore Patents Act deals with international patent applications that enter the National Phase in Singapore via PCT Chapter II (where the international filing date is before July 1 2004). Under the Act, the Patent Office must receive a copy of the International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER) before it can grant a patent. Simply issuing an IPER does, however, not guarantee that an international application is patentable.

Scientific research that looks for useful applications, processes, or products in nature is called biodiversity prospecting, or bioprospecting. In many cases, bioprospecting is a search for useful organic compounds in microorganisms, plants, and fungi that grow in extreme environments, such as rainforests, deserts, and hot springs. Malaysia, being one of the 12 mega-diverse countries in the world, and rich with biological diversity, is an attractive location for scientists to conduct these bioprospecting activities.

There is more to registering a trade mark than simply filling out a form. A trade mark search can be an invaluable aide in assessing whether your mark has validity, says Tamar Niv Bessinger

After months of fierce debates, EU Council ministers adopted a common position on the controversial software patent directive last month. The adoption was unexpected, leaving the European Parliament fully responsible for the future of the law. Stéphanie Bodoni reports

China must make its companies more IP-savvy if it is to graduate from being the world's factory floor to become a technological leader. Emma Barraclough looks at what needs to change and examines three companies that are leading the way

On January 21 the Indian government issued a Special Notice that all patent applications filed or claiming priority up to July 20 2003 would be deemed to have been published. Accordingly, Requests for Examination can be filed in respect of all applications filed or claiming priority up to that date. The complete specification in respect of all such applications can be inspected at the Patent Office.

The Dutch courts offer many attractions to European litigants. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer explains the benefits of bringing patent cases in the Netherlands

Dominique Kaesmacher, Lionel Duez and Anne Gaëlle Peters of Kirkpatrick in Brussels explain how the description seizure and Customs seizure can be useful tools for trade mark owners in Belgium