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On 18 December 2009, the New Zealand High Court and Court of Appeal both issued trade mark decisions, one considering a procedural issue and the other trade mark infringement.

On the basis of the UPOV treaty and the various national and European regulations on breeders' rights, the protection for a specific plant variety also extends to varieties that are "essentially derived" from that variety.

Although grey goods, also known as parallel imports, are regulated under the Mexican Industrial Property Law (IPL), the IPL treats grey goods bearing trade marks very differently from those involving patents.

On December 15 2009, the IP High Court of Japan rendered a decision dismissing a request for a preliminary injunction by an applicant wanting to prevent the respondent from initiating legal action in a foreign country.

The State of Israel, represented by Dr Shlomo Cohen & Co, Law Offices, has filed a NIS500 million ($132 million) lawsuit in the Tel Aviv District Court against Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd and entrepreneur Robert Taub. Omrix, bought by Johnson & Johnson in 2008 for $438 million, has commercialised a number of related inventions concerning medical adhesives for treating haemophiliacs and other applications. In the lawsuit the state claims that the company stole its intellectual property.

The government's anti-piracy programme stepped up a notch at the end of 2009 with three important events taking place in December.

A monthly column devoted to IP curiosities and controversies, named in honour of John of Utynam - who received the world's first recorded patent in 1449

The National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP) has issued an official Notice in favour of General Electric, who lodged an opposition against Vietnamese trade mark application GE mancy & Device for real estate services in Class 36 under the name of Phong Thuy One-Member Co. In the Notice, the examiner concluded that the representation of GE mancy & Device would certainly result in association between the mark and General Electric in the minds of the public. The application was refused in accordance with Article 74 of the Vietnamese Law on Intellectual Property.

The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) has proposed an amendment to the law governing copyright collective management organisations (CMOs). The draft amendment is expected to be implemented in 2010.

Just before the 2010 New Year some of the big Russian banks received a notification from their colleague, the Eastern Express bank, to the effect that the words Christmas, New Year, Vacation can be used only after signing a licence agreement. Eastern Express registered the words as trade marks and decided to improve its business by collecting royalties from the other banks using those words. The marks were registered in relation to bank and insurance services, and also services connected with evaluation of real estate and works of art.