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Seven years on from the opening of the Community Trade Marks Office, the European courts have clarified many of the controversial issues faced by applicants. Pen Hosford, of Marks & Clerk in London, examines the most important cases

Microsoft will appeal a Chicago jury verdict that ordered it to pay $521 million to the University of California and Eolas Technologies for patent infringement.

In an attempt to counter the effects of a recently-passed US law allowing medicine to be imported from Canada, drugs-maker Pfizer has said that it will stop supplying Canadian wholesalers and will only deal directly with pharmacists.

Ingrid Hering, London

Three international law firms have closed their Hong Kong IP groups already this year. But, despite fundamental changes in the IP market, the mood is not one of doom and gloom. Practitioners are still looking forward to the future with optimism. Ralph Cunningham reports

On May 22 2003 the Law On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Intellectual Property Protection was adopted. The new Law came into force on June 25 2003, and was passed to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with the provisions of the TRIPs Agreement. It covers a number of legislative innovations including the amendments introduced into special legislation, that is the Law On Protection of Rights in Trade Marks and Service Marks (the Trade Mark Law); the Law On Protection of Rights in Inventions and Utility Models; and others presented into the Codes of Civil and Commercial Procedure of Ukraine.

The new Intellectual Property Bill, which was presented to Parliament in June 2003, was challenged in the Supreme Court in SC Case No 14/2003. The applications were filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and, in Case No SC 16 of 2003, by Dr Kamalika Abeyratne, chairperson of AIDS Coalition in Sri Lanka, and Nihal Fernando. The matter came up before the Supreme Court consisting of the Chief Justice Sarath N Silva and Justices Shirani Bandaranayake and J A N de Silva.

In a recent case, Momentum Creations Pte Ltd v Tan Eng Koon t/a De Angeli (2003 1 SLR 342), the Singapore High Court ruled that exclusivity was not a legal requirement to initiate a passing-off action.

Alain Coriat and Ricardo Fischer of Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque in Venezuela tackle the misconception that globalization and IP protection is detrimental to developing countries

Being a declaratory judgment plaintiff can be one of the most important trial tactics you have in a patent case, explain William H Mandir and John F Rabena of Sughrue Mion