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Could the Napster saga finally be ending? On February 20, two weeks after losing a court battle to stay alive, the music-swapping company offered to pay $1 billion to settle the dispute once and for all.

First you lose $20 million. Then you get it back. Then you lose it again. That is the scenario facing an Indianapolis company, Biomet, which makes orthopedic products.

In three rare decisions on patent law, the Supreme Court of Canada has clarified controversial questions about the date of construction and claim language. James D Kokonis QC, Dennis SK Leung and Colin B Ingram explain

Four years into the Community Trade Mark, the number of decisions is escalating. David H Tatham reviews the most important cases of the past year

Throughout the emerging markets, software piracy remains one of the biggest problems. The Business Software Alliance is at the forefront of tackling it. Two members reveal their experience to MIP

In an unexpected turnaround, on December 26 2000, the Clinton administration killed a proposal to allow imports of low-priced prescription drugs into the United States. Congress abandoned the controversial plan on the grounds that it would be unsafe and would not achieve its aim of providing the public with cheap drugs. Describing the proposal as severely flawed, Donna E Shalala , secretary of health and human services, echoed the concerns of pharma companies who believed that without sufficient funding and strict regulations, the plan would have had a devastating effect on public safety.

The patent alternative

Membership of the European Union came one year closer for many Eastern European countries last year, but as governments rush through necessary legislation, consumers and companies are being left behind. Tabitha Parker reports

The year 2000 saw important progress regarding both the Community Patent and the European Patent Convention. Neil Jenkins reviews the developments and looks forward to further changes

In one of the most eagerly-awaited patent trials in recent years, Amgen has successfully defended three out of the five patents protecting its best-selling drug Epogen. In a 245-page ruling, Judge William G Young of the US District Court in Boston ruled that Transkaryotic Therapies (TKT) infringed the patents in its experimental drug Dynepo. But he ruled that two further patents on Epogen were not infringed. Dynepo is at present in phase III clinical trials. TKT´ s shares fell over 50% following the decision, while Amgen´ s share price shot up 10%.