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New copyright legislation emphasizes China’s commitment to its international obligations. While overseas copyright owners should welcome the new law, enforcement of their rights will remain a challenge, argue Luke Minford and Stella Li

"We are also seeing companies getting back to basics and building their core brands that consumers already know"

Guylyn R Cummins, Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP

The directive concerning legal protection of biotechnological inventions (98/44/EC) has not been annulled according to a judgment made by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on October 9 2001 (C 377/98).

Slovakia is expected to join the EPC on July 1 2002. For this reason 2001 saw a lot of work in the field of IP rights, including the adoption and amendment of a Patents Act and a new Trade Marks Act which came into force on January 1 2002. Details of this will be discussed in a later issue of MIP. Industrial designs, which up until now have been governed by Act No 527/90, will be the subject of a new independent Act. The respective Bill is already under discussion and is expected to be passed in the first half of 2002. It is worth stressing that all amendments to Slovak legislation in the field of IP rights are in compliance with the EPC and that Slovakia has taken all the necessary steps to be well prepared for access to the EPC.

Administrators of commercial companies in Colombia, whether national or foreign, must submit a report of performance to a general shareholders meeting. This must be done within the first three months of the fiscal year. Contained in the report must be a disclosure of the company's compliance with the provisions on IP and copyright.

Ingrid Hering, London

Ralph Cunningham, Hong Kong

Dust off your dormant IP and reap the benefits of donating it to a non-profit organization. Not only can it bolster your bottom line; it can also foster R&D and academia, reports Ingrid Hering

A trade mark registration in Mexico is in full force for a term of 10 years from the filing date. After that time it is necessary to request renewal before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). According to the Law of Industrial Property (LPI), to proceed with this action the corresponding trade mark must have been used in Mexico within the last three years. The question arises as to what can be done when a trade mark has not been used in that time and registration is due for renewal.