Search results for

Related Information

Xerox has lost its three-year battle with 3Com over patent infringement of its "Unistroke" software on the basis that there was "no genuine issue to any material fact". The decision on June 8, in Rochester, New York, by US district judge Michael A Telesca, destroys Xerox's hopes of receiving royalties on each Palm handheld organiser sold.

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.

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.

A new trade mark law came into effect on June 1 2000 through the Emergency (Trade Marks) Order 1999. The new law is based on the UK Trade Marks Act 1994 and repeals the old Trade Marks Act (Cap 98).

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

Brave choices, unpopular decisions

Chiron has won the latest round in its marathon battle with Roche over biotechnology patents. On May 18, the Landgericht(district court) in Dusseldorf, ruled that Roche's Amplicor HIV PCR tests infringed Chiron's European patent number 181 150.

Paraguay is vulnerable to imports of infringing goods. Brigitte Urbieta De Clerck, of Berkemeyer in Asunción, explains how new legislation aims to tackle the problem

Christian Harmsen, of Wessing & Berenberg-Gossler examines what impact the Yplon case will have on trade mark protection in Germany