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USPTO Director David Kappos called for a renewed focus on international harmonisation of patent systems last month. Speaking at the Managing IP International Patent Forum in London, Kappos said: "I am thrilled that we're opening up more opportunities to work together with more countries, since ultimately the roadmap to harmonisation will be constructed by engaging offices across all continents."

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New rules to ease restrictions for amending granted patents will come into effect in Taiwan on May 1

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Legislation targeting industries indirectly supporting infringing web sites could be introduced in the House and the Senate later this spring, congressional leaders said last month. Hearings featuring testimony from Google and registrar GoDaddy showed the intensity of feeling around the issue.

Icann's latest draft Applicant Guidebook for new generic top-level domains, released April 15, has enhanced some trade mark protections. The draft Guidebook now says that all new gTLD registries must provide both a Trade mark Claims and a Sunrise service. Previously, they could provide either one or the other. In a second important change, the latest draft has made it easier for trade marks to be included in the Clearinghouse. The previous draft said that only marks that have undergone "substantive review" would be recognised during Sunrise services, which might have excluded trade marks registered in offices that only examine on absolute grounds, including OHIM. However, trade mark owners will have to show use. The draft also includes a 'loser pays' model to the uniform rapid suspension process, but in only cases involving 26 or more domains.

The number of EPO applications from China has leapt 96% from 6,490 in 2008 to 12,698 in 2010, according to data released by the EPO last month. "China is progressing very quickly," said EPO President Benoît Battistelli at a press conference in Brussels, "but there is only one Chinese company in the top 50 list". Siemens tops that list with 2,135 applications, followed by Philips (1,765) and BASF (1,707).

Four leaders in IP received recognition for outstanding achievement in the industry at Managing IP's Global and North American awards last month. At the Global Awards, held in London, Peter Messerli and Jiang Zhipei were the recipients. Messerli (left) was congratulated for his years of service at the EPO, with three terms as president of the Boards of Appeal, and the work there that has developed the law on several important issues. Jiang Zhipei is the former chief justice of the Intellectual Property Chamber of the Supreme People's Court of China and was congratulated for his work at the court as well as innovation in spreading the word of IP in China.