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Civil procedure changes in Japan make it easier to claim attorney-client privilege

US: Sony Pictures Entertainment has abandoned its plans to make new James Bond films under an agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The deal settles an 18-month legal dispute between the two companies, and follows a temporary restraining order granted to MGM last year.

The Court of First Instance of Madrid has rendered the first Spanish judgment concerning the so-called Year 2000 chaos (Y2K), that is to say, the chaos derived from the fact that most computing systems are unable to differentiate the year 2000 from the year 1900, as they read only the last two numbers.

The Supreme Court of Cassation has confirmed in a decision dated October 28 1998 and now published that section 1-bis of the Trade Mark Law prevents the registrant from the enforcement of his exclusive rights against third parties who use his trade mark, if it is necessary to indicate the destination of a product or service, especially as an accessory thereto or as a spare part thereof.

On April 1 1999, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (the Act) came into force in Malaysia. The objectives are to promote national policies for the communications and multimedia industries, not least of which is to establish Malaysia as a major global centre for communications and multimedia information and content services; to establish a supporting licensing and regulatory framework, and to regulate the Communications and Multimedia Commission. Interestingly, the Act expressly denies any attempt to censor the Internet.

A company's intellectual capital includes a lot more than mere patents and trade marks

Domain name overhaul planned

The German Federal Supreme Court recently issued a decision on colour marks (Farbmarke gelb/schwarz, December 10 1998), which has ended a controversy in Germany. According to this decision, non-contoured definite colours or compositions of colours are registrable as trade marks.

ITALY: 14 mafia members were arrested in Naples on April 8 for their part in an international piracy ring. The arrested were members of the Quadrifoglio organization, and are accused of printing counterfeit money to pay for pirate CDs imported from Singapore, Greece and Russia. The group used the illegal proceeds of piracy to finance record companies producing local pop music. They have been charged with conspiracy, money laundering and promoting the mafia.

GERMANY: Nicolai von Funer has become a partner of Von Funer Ebbinghaus Finck Hano in Munich. The firm has also opened an office in Uluaanbaatar in Outer Mongolia: Euormarkpat Mongolia Ltd PO Box 58 Baga Toiruu 31 Ulaanbaatar 46 Mongolia Tel: +976 1 31 30 97 Fax: +976 1 32 55 87 E-mail: monpatent@magicnet.mn