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The Czech Republic has modified its IP laws to harmonize with the European Union. Karel Cermak, of Cermak Horejs Myslil in Prague explains the changes

France: Lovells will merge with French firm Siméon & Associés, effective November 1. The combined Paris office will have 25 partners and more than 80 other attorneys.

There are an estimated 190 core biotech and 460 biotech-related companies operating in Australia Approximately 35 core biotech companies and 25 biotech-related companies are publicly listed The industry as a whole has raised about A$900 million since the previous industry report in 1999, five times more than estimated in 1998-1999 Revenues generated by core biotech companies over the past 12 months are estimated at almost A$1 billion. Human health, equipment and services, and agriculture are the sectors with the most number of products under development. In 2001 there is an estimated A$300 million of ongoing publicly funded research in biotechnology Victoria has the greatest number of core biotechnology companies (38%) New South Wales has the highest number of biotech-related companies (40%) R&D investment by Australian biotech companies in 1999-2000 was approximately A$150 million. Approximately half the biotech companies operate in the human health sector, including diagnostics and therapeutics Genomics and bio-informatics companies has more than doubled since 1999 Australia's patent system gives it a competitive advantage in attracting foreign companies to invest in the country's biotechnology industry, according to a recently released report on the growth of the sector.

One of the most fundamental biotechnology inventions is due to be tested in a Massachusetts district court, after Applied Molecular Evolution (AME) filed a patent infringement suit against Morphosys on June 26. AME owns a licence to six patents filed by Stuart Kauffman covering directed evolution technology. The patents have been described by Nature Biotechnology magazine as being as important as those filed by Cohen and Boyer in the first generation of biotechnology.

An Australian attorney has patented the wheel in an attempt to draw attention to problems with the country's recently introduced innovation patent. Since May this year, the innovation patent has been available for inventions with a lower inventive threshold than standard patents. It is defined as a development that makes a substantial contribution to the working of the invention compared with the prior art.

Spain is a step closer to bringing its trade mark system into line with the rest of the EU after the Spanish House of Representatives approved the draft Spanish Trade Marks Act. The legislation will now be debated by the Senate for a final vote, with July 31 mooted for its implementation. Its key objectives include implementing the Madrid Protocol and the EU Harmonization Directive, TRIPs compliance, and introducing amendments that bring Spain closer to harmonization with the Community Trade Mark.

The Russian Patent and Trademark Office (Rospatent) has approved Anheuser-Busch's application to register the Bud trade mark in Russia, following a 12-year battle with Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar.

Name partner Aurelio Perani and his two sons have left Italian firm Jacobacci & Perani and established another practice following divisions within the firm's management. Aurelio Perani was a partner in the trade mark and patent agency Jacobacci & Perani's Milan office. His son Paolo was a partner in Studio Legale Jacobacci e Perani, where younger brother Andreo was an associate.

The copyright landscape for publishers has been redrawn by a landmark US Supreme Court decision in June that found the inclusion without permission of previously published articles in an electronic database constituted copyright infringement.

The Festo decision is arguably one of the most controversial to fall on the US patent landscape in recent times. It is deeply divisive, generating as much ardent opposition as it does adamant support. Patent lawyers, unsure of the way forward, now look in hope to the Supreme Court for guidance on this most vexed of issues.