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As the annual review of the USTR’s Special 301 monitoring approaches, many Latin American countries have a lot to prove. James Nurton reports

Politicians have shown a welcome appetite for upgrading trade mark and copyright legislation. Changes may be required to reach international standards, but they also have a critical impact on a country’s prosperity, writes Ralph Cunningham

While counterfeiting is still a scourge of international business, many governments have made progress in improving protection in the past year. James Nurton, Ingrid Hering and Ralph Cunningham reveal the leading firms in trade mark/copyright work in 30 markets across the world

When it comes to using patents to provide more brand and shareholder value, some companies may be getting in the way of their own success. In the following excerpt from their chapter in the book From Ideas to Assets – Investing Wisely in Intellectual Property (John Wiley & Sons), Bruce Berman and James D Woods show how the importance of these patents may be overlooked and under-communicated

A trademark owner in the Netherlands has the right to lodge an application, in writing, with the the customs authorities requiring them to keep a watch for counterfeit goods. This is on the basis of EU regulation 3295/94 (December 22 1994) and EU regulation 1367/95 (June 16 1995) which both came into force in the Netherlands on July 1 1997. On the basis of this application, customs authorities are allowed to detain or to suspend the release of a suspicious consignment for a brief period, during which the trademark holder can initiate legal measures.

? China: Sohu.com has responded to a copyright infringement suit from Sina.com, its mainland rival, by counter-suing for copyright infringement and unfair competition. The cases concern the use of cellphone screen designs.

A trademark owner in the Netherlands has the right to lodge an application, in writing, with the the customs authorities requiring them to keep a watch for counterfeit goods. This is on the basis of EU regulation 3295/94 (December 22 1994) and EU regulation 1367/95 (June 16 1995) which both came into force in the Netherlands on July 1 1997. On the basis of this application, customs authorities are allowed to detain or to suspend the release of a suspicious consignment for a brief period, during which the trademark holder can initiate legal measures.

The long-running saga of the European software patent may be nearing an end with the adoption of a draft proposal by the European Commission. At its February 20 meeting, the Commission approved a draft directive that attempts to steer a middle ground between advocates of US-style protection and those opposed to any kind of software patent.

Ralph Cunningham, Hong Kong

There have been major reforms to trade mark protection and enforcement procedures throughout eastern and southern Europe in recent years. Ingrid Hering examines how attorneys are adapting to the changes