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If the subject-matter of a granted German patent is an invention for which a European patent to the same inventor or its successor in law has been granted (which has the same priority and is valid in Germany) then the German patent becomes ineffective to the extent to which it protects the same invention as the European patent. This happens (1) at the end of the opposition period of the European patent, provided no opposition has been filed, or (2) at the end of European opposition proceedings, provided the European patent has been (at least partially) maintained, or (3) when the German patent is granted after (1) or (2).

Reinhardt Schuster and Clemens Rübel of Bardehle Pagenberg Dost Altenburg Geissler Isenbruck in Munich review the scope of protection under the doctrine of equivalents as it applies to patent claims including numerical data in Germany

Russia's trade mark community has intensified pressure for tougher legislation to crack down on counterfeiting despite several legislative changes in recent months. A new Code of Administrative Offences, which comes into force on July 1, strengthens civil penalties for trade mark infringement, including the unprecedented provision for the seizure of counterfeit goods.

Patentees face a number of problems when seeking protection for protein structures at the EPO. Dr Joachim Wachenfeld and Dr Thomas Wilk of Vossius & Partner in Munich reveal some possible solutions

Numerous forms of IP rights insurance are now available. Janice Denoncourt argues that insurance can be used offensively and defensively and is something all IP owners should consider

Europe's fund of trade mark case law keeps on growing. Jeremy Phillips says that, while some interesting cases have been decided in the past year, there is much more excitement still to come

Given the time that intellectual property proceedings usually take, and the insufficient expertise among the judges hearing the cases, in Colombia the parties to IP conflicts are increasingly resorting to alternative methods such as arbitration and conciliation.

? China: On March 4, Chinese Customs had its biggest success ever in the campaign against pirated optical discs when it seized 4 million CDs from a fishing boat in Shenzhen, a city in the south of the country.

Ingrid Hering reports

BT is to launch a major licensing push in the US and Canada to exploit value from its 14,000 patents. James Nurton visits the telecoms company’s global research headquarters near Ipswich, England to find out how