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As global protection becomes more desirable and more expensive, the new Patent Law Treaty promises to make the process less painful. But progress towards harmonization is slow and pain-staking. Tabitha Parker reports

The US Patent and Trademark Office is facing the loss of 25% of next year's income, under budget proposals in the House Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill. The cuts come as business is soaring: patent applications were up 12% last year, and trade mark applications increased 40%.

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According to German case law, patents directed to the use of a substance or a device for a certain purpose may confer protection which goes beyond the actual application of the method of use. If the product involved shows an "obvious orientation" or "apparent adaptation" towards the protected use, a use claim protects a patentee essentially in the same manner as a product claim directed to that product. This adaptation of the product includes acts as formulation, ready-for-use packaging together with instructions, dosage (for medical substances), or similar preparations towards the protected use.

In the first decision of its kind, Singapore's High Court has upheld a biotechnology patent on the HIV-2 virus. It is a decision that will be greeted with interest worldwide, says Tony Yeo

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On May 25 1999, the Russian President issued a Decree on the "Structure of Federal Executive Bodies". That Decree meant a major reshuffle of the governmental bodies responsible for various facets of the functioning of the Russian national economy. The Decree set up or reorganized a number of federal entities and abolished other federal bodies. For the most part, the changes concerned relatively unimportant entities and mostly remained unnoticed.

The Romanian Patent Law 64/1991 provides for the possibility of obtaining an improvement patent.

The European Commission has taken a big step towards the implementation of the European Community Patent. On July 5, following discussions at the Lisbon and Fiera summits, internal market commissioner Frits Bolkestein announced that the single EU patent should be available by the end of next year.

Franchising has a big role to play in internet business. As the e-conomy takes off, Mark Abell and Andrew Scott argue that traditional views of market exclusivity in Europe must be changed