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Mr Justice Laddie's judgment in Arsenal Football Plc v Matthew Reed could deal a serious blow to those engaged in the business of merchandising in the UK.

Michiel Rijskijk Will the international exhaustion rule be applicable in Europe in the near future, just as The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden knew it a long time ago in their respective trade mark laws? What could the consequences thereof be for industry, specifically the pharmaceutical industry? Case law in The Netherlands at the end of the 1950s provides that when goods protected by a trade mark have been brought on the market with the consent of the proprietor, the trade mark right in respect of that product is exhausted. This international exhaustion rule is also included in the Benelux Trade Mark Act of 1971. Under the influence of industry lobbying inter alia more voices were raised in the 1960s and 1970s demanding that the European market should be protected against parallel imports. The European Court of Justice on October 31 1971 in the Centrafarm Winthrop case (C-16/74) for the first time ruled that the proprietor of a trade mark is not permitted to prohibit a product being brought onto the market in one EEC member state if it was brought on the market in another EEC member state with the consent of the proprietor.

Canada: WIPO has transferred 31 domain names to the Canadian government, including CanadaCouncil.com and CanadianCustoms.com, after it found that they were registered in bad faith with the intention to resell them. The panel also heard that the sites were used to redirect internet users seeking Canadian government web sites to sites owned by the registrant.

A WIPO panel has rejected a complaint from fashion label Giorgio Armani that its domain name was stolen by a Canadian man.

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly relying on their brands to sustain sales on drugs that come off patent. Ingrid Hering examines how to build up brand recognition and prevent infringements

Ingrid Hering, London

The Malaysian government is to ban the sale in open places, such as roadsides and night markets, of VCDs, CDs and DVDs in a bid to crack down on piracy in the country. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the minister for domestic trade and consumer affairs, announced the ban on August 6 after a meeting of the government's Special Anti-Piracy Task Force.

Ralph Cunningham, Hong Kong

James Nurton, London

Ralph Cunningham, Hong Kong